Cholera epidemics, war and disasters around Goma and Lake Kivu: an eight-year survey.
BACKGROUND
During the last eight years, North and South Kivu, located in a lake area in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, have been the site of a major volcano eruption and of numerous complex emergencies with population displacements. These conditions have been suspected to favour emergence and spread of cholera epidemics.


RESULTS
In order to assess the influence of these conditions on outbreaks, reports of cholera cases were collected weekly from each health district of North Kivu (4,667,699 inhabitants) and South Kivu (4,670,121 inhabitants) from 2000 through 2007. A geographic information system was established, and in each health district, the relationships between environmental variables and the number of cholera cases were assessed using regression techniques and time series analysis. We further checked for a link between complex emergencies and cholera outbreaks. Finally, we analysed data collected during an epidemiological survey that was implemented in Goma after Nyiragongo eruption. A total of 73,605 cases and 1,612 deaths of cholera were reported. Time series decomposition showed a greater number of cases during the rainy season in South Kivu but not in North Kivu. Spatial distribution of cholera cases exhibited a higher number of cases in health districts bordering lakes (Odds Ratio 7.0, Confidence Interval range 3.8-12.9). Four epidemic reactivations were observed in the 12-week periods following war events, but simulations indicate that the number of reactivations was not larger than that expected during any random selection of period with no war. Nyiragongo volcanic eruption was followed by a marked decrease of cholera incidence.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study points out the crucial role of some towns located in lakeside areas in the persistence of cholera in Kivu. Even if complex emergencies were not systematically followed by cholera epidemics, some of them enabled cholera spreading.
Direction de la Lutte contre les Maladies, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa-Gombe, République Démocratique du Congo.
Didier
D
Bompangue
Patrick
P
Giraudoux
Martine
M
Piarroux
Guy
G
Mutombo
Rick
R
Shamavu
Bertrand
B
Sudre
Annie
A
Mutombo
Vital
V
Mondonge
Renaud
R
Piarroux
D002771:Cholera / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000266:history; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D004190:Disasters; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005843:Geography; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D014857:Warfare