On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the risk of outbreaks of waterborne and vector-borne diseases in the Republic of the Congo after weeks of widespread flooding triggered by unusually heavy rainfall.
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As the flooding has left more than 336,000 people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, the country now faces the risk of outbreaks of diseases, such as cholera, malaria, dengue, and measles, said the WHO Regional Office for Africa, based in Brazzaville, the Congolese capital.
Nine of the country's 12 departments have been affected, especially those bordering the Congo River.
According to estimates by experts cited by the WHO, the current rainfall is twice the average recorded in the 2022-2023 season. The water level in the Ubangi River, the largest right-bank tributary of the Congo River, has reached an all-time high.
"WHO is committed to supporting the government to ramp up emergency response to save lives and ensure access to critical basic services," says Lucien Manga, WHO representative in the Republic of Congo. "We are working with partner organizations to bolster relief response, support livelihoods and limit the threat of diseases outbreaks."
The floods have destroyed or damaged 34 health facilities, 120 schools and more than 64,000 houses in the affected areas. Humanitarian needs are projected to rise, further worsening the plight of the affected population, especially vulnerable communities.
In a press release published in late December 2023, Congolese Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso said the number of people affected by the floods far exceeded those of previous years.
The water level of the Congo River, which separates Brazzaville and Kinshasa, the capital of the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has reached 6.2 meters above sea level, just below the 1961 record of 6.26 meters, local media reported, citing DRC authorities.
In the DRC, at least 300 people were killed in recent floods caused by heavy rains, the DRC government said on Jan. 5.