Cholera claims 23 lives in DR Congo\'s Equateur province

At least 23 people have died from cholera which broke out in Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), according to local sources. \"Even though the epidemic seems to have reduced in Mbandaka, cholera still affects some parts of the country especially in South Ubangi area in Equateur province where 15 people out of 119 cases that were reported since Nov. 5 have died. Eight other people died during the same period in Basankusu health zone,\" the president of the local civil society groups, Modeste Bonkengu, said on Tuesday. \"In the town of Mbandaka, the cholera treatment center has not received any patient,\" provincial Health Minister Mireille Betayi affirmed. She said if the situation goes on like that, the cholera treatment center will be closed since even NGOs like Medecins Sans Frontier (MSF) have already started to withdraw their staff. In order to fight against this disease, the United Nations Children\'s Fund (UNICEF) has organized a training session for officials of 30 NGOs who will sensitize the public on proper hygiene measures.