Citizens displaced by Democratic Republic of Congo volcano eruption now face cholera risk
- Fears of a second eruption spurred the government to issue an evacuation order on Thursday that sent 400,000 residents fleeing
- ‘The biggest problem is access to water – having enough drinkable water for these people is essential,’ said a spokesman for Medecins Sans Frontieres
Hundreds of thousands of displaced people who fled Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a volcanic eruption are at risk of infection by cholera, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned on Sunday.
After the Nyiragongo volcano rumbled to life a week ago, fears of a second eruption spurred the government to issue an evacuation order on Thursday that sent 400,000 residents fleeing.
As many as a quarter of them headed to Sake, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) to the northwest, while others made for Rutshuru in the north, and Minova in South-Kivu province.
“Obviously we fear a flare up of cholera. The risk is already elevated in this area where cholera is already endemic,” Magali Roudaut, head of MSF’s Goma-based mission in the DR Congo said.
“With these populations on the move it would be catastrophic,” she warned.