Democratic republic of congo population

Download logo With widening violence, largescale displacement, poor harvests and endemic poverty nearly doubling the number of acutely food insecure people in DRC this year to 13.1 million, the World Food Programme (WFP) significantly expanded its operations, reaching a record 5 million, a twofold increase from 2017. Building on a surge in food assistance that averted famine in Kasai and Kasai Central, the UN agency quickly scaled up its interventions in the troubled eastern provinces of Ituri, Tanganyika and North and South Kivu, where flaring conflicts forced many more people from their homes. Assistance was provided in the form of commodities and cash, and specially fortified foods for the treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition, which affects 4.6 million children countrywide. Improved funding* is allowing the restoration of full food rations to some WFP recipients who had had to make do with half the programmed quantities for many months. “This has been a year of … [Read more...] about In a year of deepening hunger, World Food Programme (WFP) reaches a record 5 million people in Democratic Republic of Congo

Download logo UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is gravely concerned for the safety of tens of thousands of civilians in the north-eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where violence by armed groups has recently claimed more than 20 lives. The attacks are on the rise in the Beni area of North Kivu Province and further north in Ituri Province, both situated near the border with Uganda. It is estimated that more than a million people are displaced in North Kivu. An estimated half a million people have been forced from their homes this year alone. UNHCR is calling on all parties involved in the conflict to protect and respect the lives of civilians displaced in a region that is already having to respond to a deadly outbreak of Ebola. An attack by the main rebel groups, the Allied Democratic Forces – National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-Nalu) in the city of Beni in North Kivu last weekend killed more than 20 people, most of them civilians. While … [Read more...] about UNHCR alarm at recent attacks and rising displacement in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) has commended the Republic of Congo’s commitment to strengthening its health system through the primary health care approach, during a three-day visit to the Central African country, which ends on 27 July. “Primary health care is the foundation of universal health coverage,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Most health problems can be addressed at the primary level where the cost of care is low and the returns on saving lives are high. So I commend your focus on primary health care and if you move swiftly, the Republic of Congo can become a model for other nations.” During his first official visit to the country since his election as Director-General of WHO last year, Dr Tedros met with President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who has stated that health is a priority in the country’s development plans. Despite an economic downturn the government has significantly increased its investment in the … [Read more...] about World Health Organisation Director General: Republic of Congo can transform its primary health care into a model for other nations

July 24 marked the end of the latest outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This was the DRC’s ninth Ebola outbreak. In fact, the Ebola virus was first identified there in 1976.  Previous outbreaks had been confined to isolated rural areas but this one involved four separate locations, including Mbandaka, a major city with connections to the capital, Kinshasa, and its more than 10 million people, as well as the neighbouring country capitals of Bangui and Brazzaville. In addition, health workers were infected, becoming vectors for spread themselves. One of the many lessons from the devastating West African Ebola epidemic of 2014 was that the world expected much more from the World Health Organization than it was then able to deliver. We have since worked hard to make sure the world is better prepared, not only for Ebola but for the many high-threat pathogens, including pandemic influenza, that can cross the species barrier—from animals to … [Read more...] about The end of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the time to prepare for the next one