The resurgence of the cholera epidemic in Kinshasa at the center of a meeting

Kinshasa, July 8^th, 2025 (CPA). – The resurgence of the cholera epidemic in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, was the subject of a meeting held on Tuesday between the General Secretary for Health and stakeholders working in the health sector. ‘We met, namely myself, the CEO of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP), the Coordinator of COUSP, the Head of the Provincial Division and the 35 chief medical officers of the zone, to discuss the mechanism and means to be put in place to manage the response to this epidemic,’ has said Dr Sylvain Yuma, General Secretary for Health Dr Yuma has said that this meeting was of paramount importance, as the city province of Kinshasa has a total of 400 cases. ‘This meeting allowed me to thoroughly investigate the situation,’ he has said. The General Secretary has emphasized that all measures are being taken to address the health challenges in the capital with the involvement of all. However, Dr Yuma pointed out that the issue of cholera had been discussed at the Council of Ministers, stressing that chief medical officers in the area should be involved in or take ownership of the response. In addition, Dr Paul Ntangu, provincial health division head in Kinshasa, is expecting a rigorous response. He also made a plea on behalf of the chief medical officers in the area for the mobilization of resources to carry out the response to cholera, while insisting on the health security of disaster sites. ‘The challenges on the ground are enormous, particularly in terms of equipment, namely mobility. There are not enough ambulances, and we also need to look at how to prevent the spread of this epidemic on the ground by distributing water purification tablets,’ he has said. A guided tour of the premises of the Kinshasa Provincial Division concluded the meeting, to the satisfaction of the General Secretary-l for Health.