Mweka, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Encyclopedia
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, situated on the Kasai railway line
Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ground transport in the Democratic Republic of Congo has always been difficult. The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin present serious barriers to road and rail construction, and the distances are enormous across this vast country...
between Kananga
Kananga
Kananga, formerly known as Luluabourg or Luluaburg, is the capital of Lulua District in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has a population of 1,130,100 ....
(250 km away) and the Kasai River
Kasai River
The Kasai River is a tributary of the Congo River, located in central Africa. The river begins in Angola and serves as the border between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo , then flows into the DRC, where it joins the Congo northeast of Kinshasa. The Kasai's tributaries include the...
port of Ilebo
Ilebo
Ilebo, formerly known as Port-Francqui, is a town in Kasaï District in the Democratic Republic of Congo, lying at the highest navigable point of the Kasaï River. As such, it is an important transport hub for ferries to Kinshasa and trains to Lubumbashi....
(172 km away).
Mweka is also the headquarters of the Territoire de Mweka
Territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The provinces and districts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are divided into 192 territories and communes...
(administrative district) of the present Kasai-Occidental
Kasai-Occidental
Kasai-Occidental is one of the ten provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It borders the provinces of Bandundu to the west, Équateur to the north, Kasai-Oriental to the east, and Katanga to the southeast. To the south it borders the country of Angola...
province.
Transport
When the rail connection to the KatangaKatanga Province
Katanga Province is one of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province. Under the new constitution, the province was to be replaced by four smaller provinces by February 2009; this did not actually take place.Katanga's regional...
line is functioning, trains reach Lubumbashi
Lubumbashi
Lubumbashi is the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, second only to the nation's capital Kinshasa, and the hub of the southeastern part of the country. The copper-mining city serves as the capital of the relatively prosperous Katanga Province, lying near the Zambian border...
, 1,406 km to the south-east of Mweka. The train/boat journey in the other direction from Mweka via Ilebo to the capital, Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
is about 1,000 km. Although "remote" is the default international media description for any DR Congo town outside Kinshasa, Mweka is relatively accessible by the standards of the country. Mweka Airport is 372 nm (690 km) east of Kinshasa.
Accident
In early August 2007, a freight train crash near Mweka killed about 100 people who had been riding illegally on the wagons.Disease
Beginning in late August 2007, the Territoire de Mweka is currently the site of an outbreak of EbolaEbola
Ebola virus disease is the name for the human disease which may be caused by any of the four known ebolaviruses. These four viruses are: Bundibugyo virus , Ebola virus , Sudan virus , and Taï Forest virus...
hemorrhagic fever, which had killed more than 100 people by August 30, including all those who attended the funerals of two village chiefs.
See also
- EbolaEbolaEbola virus disease is the name for the human disease which may be caused by any of the four known ebolaviruses. These four viruses are: Bundibugyo virus , Ebola virus , Sudan virus , and Taï Forest virus...
- Universal precautionsUniversal precautionsUniversal precautions refers to the practice, in medicine, of avoiding contact with patients' bodily fluids, by means of the wearing of nonporous articles such as medical gloves, goggles, and face shields. The practice was introduced in 1985–88. In 1987, the practice of universal precautions was...
- Needle removerNeedle removerNeedle removers are devices that physically remove a needle from a syringe. In developing countries, there is still a need for improvements in needle safety in hospital settings as most of the needle removal processes are done manually and under severe risk of hazard from needles puncturing skin...
- Sharps wasteSharps wasteSharps waste is a form of medical waste composed of used sharps, which includes any device or object used to puncture or lacerate the skin. Sharps waste is classified as biohazardous waste and must be carefully handled...
- Dr. Matthew LukwiyaMatthew LukwiyaDr. Matthew Lukwiya was a Ugandan physician and the supervisor of St. Mary's Hospital Lacor, outside of Gulu. He was at the forefront of the 2000 ebola outbreak and the first doctor to die of the disease.-Biography:...
(1957–2000) - VHFs