From epidemic to pandemic
In February, as I followed a local Red Cross team preparing an infant's burial in the eastern Congolese town of...
Health
With the Coronavirus pandemic, Congo is facing the worst global health crisis in a century while also managing the second-deadliest Ebola epidemic in history and the world’s deadliest measles outbreak. Decades of conflict and misrule mean that a lack of access to basic health care has caused millions of preventable deaths from easily treatable diseases such as malaria, cholera, and diarrhoea. Hospitals often lack basic equipment and staff and run out of essential medicines and supplies. The country has made measureable progress in recent years, due to improved leadership, coordination and investments in priority health issues by the government and international partners, according to USAID. Four facts about Congo’s health system can be found here.
