Cholera outbreak among Rwandan refugees--Democratic Republic of Congo, April 1997.

In April 1997, a cholera outbreak occurred among 90,000 Rwandan refugees residing in three temporary camps between Kisangani and Ubundu, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) established two referral medical centers and a cholera treatment center in these camps. Personnel from MSF, Zairean nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) implemented morbidity and mortality surveillance to monitor refugee health status. This report presents the findings of the surveillance system and indicates this outbreak was characterized by a higher death rate than that observed in previous cholera outbreaks in refugee populations.