By: Staff Reporter | www.thepointafricanews.com | South Kivu, DRC | July 2025

A severe cholera outbreak at an artisanal gold mining site in South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has infected over 600 people and overwhelmed local health facilities already strained by years of armed conflict and displacement.

The outbreak is centered in Lomera, a mining area near the town of Luhihi, where thousands of people recently settled in pursuit of gold. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which is leading the emergency response, reports that more than 600 patients have been treated, with over 350 requiring hospitalization. A temporary 20-bed cholera treatment center was established, but the volume of severe cases quickly exceeded its capacity.

“We are witnessing a surge in patients with severe dehydration. The sanitary conditions at the site are appalling, and access to safe water is nearly nonexistent,” said an MSF health worker in South Kivu.

MSF has launched a broad public health response, including the vaccination of over 8,000 people, the construction of latrines and handwashing stations, and the distribution of clean water and hygiene kits to prevent further transmission.

The outbreak has been fueled by overcrowding, open defecation, and unsafe water sources — conditions that are all too common in remote mining areas with little government oversight. “Many of these miners live in informal shelters with no access to latrines or clean water,” MSF noted in a public statement.

Cholera, an acute diarrheal disease caused by ingesting contaminated water or food, can be fatal within hours if left untreated. Eastern DRC remains particularly vulnerable due to protracted conflict, internal displacement, and weak infrastructure.

Nationwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that nearly 29,400 suspected cholera cases and 620 related deaths have been recorded across DRC between January and June 2025. South Kivu is among the hardest-hit provinces.

Humanitarian agencies are urging for increased government and donor support to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services — not just as a short-term response, but as a longer-term investment in public health resilience.

“The rapid spread of cholera in gold mining zones is not just a health crisis,” said a local NGO coordinator. “It reflects broader systemic failures in environmental management, health infrastructure, and conflict governance.”