The Recurrence of Cholera in the City of Lubumbashi: Investigation of Risk Factors for an Effective Response and Health Education Perspective

Introduction: Cholera is one of the so-called dirty hand diseases. Its effective response saves lives. The city of Lubumbashi has recorded at least one cholera epidemic for almost ten years, each of which generates significant socio-economic costs. Method: We conducted a case-control study on cholera in the city of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 330 individuals, including 110 cases matched to 220 controls. The linear list of the cholera treatment center was used to identify the cases. Results: Half of the respondents were 50, 30% did not treat water before drinking, and the remaining 49.70% used the treatment of drinking water. The risk factors for the cholera outbreak that were found to be statistically significant include: poor food preservation (AOR = 3.32, 95% CI [1.85 - 5.96], and p value = 0.0001), contact with a cholera patient (AOR = 2.88, 95% CI [1.65 - 5.01], and p value = 0.0002) and stay outside Lubumbashi (AOR = 4.18, its 95% CI [1.83 - 9.55]). Conclusion: An urgent need for information on risk factors for cholera and a rapid organization of the response is the key to cope with this recurrent epidemic in the city of Lubumbashi.