Deteriorating Health Situation In Eastern DRC - WHO
/
1:47
/
MP4
/
132.5 MB

Edited News | WHO

Deteriorating Health Situation In Eastern DRC - WHO

Eastern DRC: Disease outbreaks on the rise due to recurrent natural disaster and insecurity putting health system at breaking point

Increased violence, natural disasters and disease outbreaks have fueled the deteriorating health situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), said Dr. Jorge Castilla, Senior Emergency Officer of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday when briefing journalists at the United Nations in Geneva: “There has been a huge repetitive and very difficult increase of displacement with a total of 7.4 million in DRC that are in need of (health) assistance.”

Since March 2022, almost 3 million people have been forced from their homes in the eastern part of the country, in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces, due to attacks from armed groups which is severely impacting people’s health.

“With the different attacks that started in March in which Hutu population moves, they are attacked, they move, they are attacked”, said Dr. Castilla. “Several other areas like Masisi and Nyiragongo have had this same phenomenon collecting people around the city of Goma. And when they move, also diseases move with them. Cholera has spread through the area, and it is now prevalent with 25,000 cases. The area where they arrived has the highest number.”

The country’s health system and resources are under pressure due to concurrent outbreaks of COVID-19, measles, polio and mpox but also yellow fever, cholera and malaria which are on the rise due to recurrent natural disaster and lack of access to safe water and sanitation for those on the move, said the WHO.

Their data has shown that since mid-March 2023, the DRC has been experiencing a large cholera outbreak with an average of 1,000 cases per week. As of 12 June 2023, a total of 24 562 cases and 156 deaths were reported.

The WHO has planned a measles vaccination campaign to take place in the next days. The two provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu alone account for 82% of the more than 136 000 measles cases, including 2,000 deaths, recorded in the country so far this year.

In addition to the armed violence, flooding earlier this year killed and injured hundreds of people and affected 36 health facilities in North Kivu, South Kivu, Kasai and Tshopo provinces, further increasing health needs. Attacks on health care have also impacted access to health care interventions.

According to WHO’s Dr. Castilla who spoke from Kinshasa, “the international attention came to the area because of the landslides and the floods that were in the news with injured people and facilities destroyed. So, the entire health system is really under stress.”

Hunger and malnutrition are growing, said the WHO expert, forcing the displaced to sporadically return to their areas of origin to collect resources, exposing them to further violence and to mental health and psychosocial strain.

“There is this increase in malnutrition and this increasing gap between the needs and the assistance,” noted Dr. Castilla. “The whole UN system, the humanitarian system, decided on the 16th of this month to do a three-month scale-up for everybody in order to improve the actions of the different partners there.”

Close to 26 million people are facing acute food insecurity in 2023, said WHO’s Emergency officer, the world's highest number of food insecure people. Acute malnutrition is severely affecting children under the age of 5, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

From the overall US$174 million which is required to provide urgent health assistance, only US$23 million (13%), have been mobilized so far, informed the WHO.

-ends-

  1. Exterior wide shot: UN Palais with flags
  2. SOUNDBITE (English) – Dr. Jorge Castilla, Senior Emergency Officer at the World Health Organization (WHO): “There has been a huge repetitive and very difficult increase of displacement with a total of 7.4 million in DRC that are in need of assistance.”
  3. Exterior medium shot: UN Palais with flags
  4. SOUNDBITE (English) – Dr. Jorge Castilla, Senior Emergency Officer at the World Health Organization (WHO): “With the different attacks that started in March in which Hutu population moves, they are attacked, they move, they are attacked. And several other areas like Masisi and Nyiragongo have had this same phenomenon collecting people around the city of Goma. And when they move, also diseases move with them. Cholera has spread through the area, and it is now prevalent with 25,000 cases. The area where they arrived has the highest number.”
  5. Exterior medium shot: UN Palais with flags
  6. SOUNDBITE (English) – Dr. Jorge Castilla, Senior Emergency Officer at the World Health Organization (WHO): “On top of this, I think the international attention came to the area because of the landslides and the floods that were in the news with injured people and facilities destroyed. So the entire health system is really under stress.”
  7. Exterior wide shot: UN Palais with flags
  8. SOUNDBITE (English) – Dr. Jorge Castilla, Senior Emergency Officer at the World Health Organization (WHO): “There is this increase in malnutrition and this increasing gap between the needs and the assistance. So, the whole UN system, the humanitarian system, decided on the 16th of this month to do a three-month scale-up for everybody in order to improve the actions of the different partners there.”
  9. Exterior wide shot: UN Palais garden with UN flag

Similar Stories

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at Human Rights Council on Ukraine: “This war needs to end”

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at Human Rights Council on Ukraine: “This war needs to end” ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned that three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for Ukrainian civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters.

30 minutes in a Gaza hospital - UNICEF - WHO - ICRC

1

1

1

Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , ICRC

30 minutes in a Gaza hospital - UNICEF - WHO - ICRC ENG FRA

Quadcopter victims, terror and death: 30 minutes in a Gaza hospital 

UN aid teams on Friday highlighted the disturbing situation in Gaza’s makeshift hospitals, where premature babies cry for scant oxygen and medics attempt to save child survivors targeted by airstrikes in their tents and quadcopter victims reportedly shot while fetching bread.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s Oral update to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti

2

1

2

Edited News | OHCHR

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s Oral update to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday delivered his oral update to the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session on the human rights situation in Haiti.

The High Commissioner welcomed Wednesday’s decision of the UN Security Council to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force for Haiti, stating it is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.

Gaza aid update - UNICEF, OCHA 30 September 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF

Gaza aid update - UNICEF, OCHA 30 September 2025 ENG FRA

Gaza: As world waits for US peace plan news, UN aid teams stress need for ceasefire

UN agencies reiterated calls for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to help alleviate Palestinian suffering, as a new US 20-point plan raised hopes of a halt to the fighting.

Gaza healthcare attacks – WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO

Gaza healthcare attacks – WHO ENG FRA

The ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza City continues to overwhelm the war-torn enclave’s medical professionals, with four more hospitals forced to shut down this month alone, the UN World Health Organization said on Friday.

UN Report: Civilian detainees subjected to troubling patterns of torture and ill treatment since Russia’s full scale attack on Ukraine

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Report: Civilian detainees subjected to troubling patterns of torture and ill treatment since Russia’s full scale attack on Ukraine ENG FRA

A UN Human Rights report released today details the dire situation of thousands of civilians detained since Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine in 2022. 

Sudan cholera update WHO - UNICEF

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO , UNICEF

Sudan cholera update WHO - UNICEF ENG FRA

Sudan war: Life-saving cholera vaccination campaign begins in Darfur

Amid the devastating war in Sudan, UN aid teams are overcoming major obstacles to curb a cholera outbreak claiming lives across the country, with young children particularly at risk.

Afghanistan earthquake response – UN Women 19 September 2025

2

1

2

Edited News , B-roll | UN WOMEN

Afghanistan earthquake response – UN Women 19 September 2025 ENG FRA

Women and girls still reeling from Afghanistan's recent deadly earthquake face even greater suffering rebuilding their lives and livelihoods without much more help from the international community, UN Women said on Friday.

UN report: Sudan crisis deepens amid rising civilian casualties - UN Human rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and OHCHR Sudan Representative Li Fung

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN report: Sudan crisis deepens amid rising civilian casualties - UN Human rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and OHCHR Sudan Representative Li Fung ENG FRA

Rising civilian casualties, growing ethnic violence and the grim humanitarian situation in Sudan underscore how the crisis there is deepening, according to a UN Human rights report published today.

'Not a Target' UN Geneva Protest - 18 September 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNITED NATIONS

'Not a Target' UN Geneva Protest - 18 September 2025 ENG FRA

United Nations agencies staff demonstrates on Place des Nations in Geneva to denounce the killing of their colleagues in Gaza.

WMO - World Water Monitor 18 September 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WMO

WMO - World Water Monitor 18 September 2025 ENG FRA

The world’s water resources face growing pressure from climate change while emergencies related to the vital resource are increasingly impacting lives and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk Remarks to HRC 60 Urgent debate

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk Remarks to HRC 60 Urgent debate ENG FRA

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council during a meeting on the Israeli strike on negotiators in Qatar on Tuesday. “Israel’s strike on negotiators in Doha on 9 September was a shocking breach of international law, an assault on regional peace and stability, and a blow against the integrity of mediation and negotiating processes around the world,” he said.