Democratic Republic of the Congo - Epidemics (DG ECHO, WHO, authorities) (ECHO Daily Flash of 13 January 2023)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has a very high infectious disease burden and is prone to recurrent epidemics that require emergency support and create additional humanitarian needs.

The country is dealing with a number of ongoing outbreaks, including cholera (17,866 suspected cases including 299 deaths, measles (146,359 suspected cases with 1,846 related deaths), bubonic plague (653 suspected cases including 16 deaths) and yellow fever (1,022 suspected cases including 23 deaths). All figures cover the year 2022.

The DRC also has a high burden of Mpox, previously known as monkey pox. It reported 5,740 suspected Mpox cases in 2022. The lethality is high at about 4%. Laboratory tests confirmed two new cases in the first week of 2023.

In addition, the DRC has one of the highest number of malaria cases and deaths worldwide. Malaria is among the principle causes of morbidity and mortality in the country.

The last outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the DRC occurred in 2022.