Doctors battle to contain cholera in Rwandan camps

As cholera continues to rage through the refugee camps in and around the Zairean border town of Goma over 200 expatriate doctors and nurses are now working in the region for the medical aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres. It is the largest contingent ever deployed by the agency in a disaster area at one time. Most of the volunteers are working in the Goma region. Further teams are active in refugee camps in Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania. As the death toll from cholera continues to rise, however, the agency is appealing for more volunteers.

The agency's clinics, which were originally opened in Goma and along its access roads to deal with all types of medical problems, are now working full time to stem the cholera epidemic. Other medical problems such …