In 1994 ethnic conflict in the bordering nations of Rwanda and Burundi ignited a civil war that toppled DRC's dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997. In 1998 the civil war became an international war between the DRC and Rwanda, with troops from Uganda, Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe also taking part in the fighting. In 2001 Mobutu's successor, Laurent Kabila, was assassinated and replaced as the president of the DRC by his son (Joseph Kabila), who signed a peace agreement with Rwanda in July, 2002. The International Rescue Committee estimated in 2001 that in eastern DRC 3.5 million people had died since 1998; 2.5 million of these deaths were directly or indirectly due to the fighting. United Nations peacekeeping forces have been introduced into eastern DRC, but continued fighting in the region is still preventing delivery of humanitarian aid in the summer of 2004.

Disease surveillance and other aspects of the DRC's health infrastructure have been disrupted by the war, making precise estimates of disease prevalence difficult. With that caveat, the best estimate (UNAIDS, 2002) is that 1.3 million Congolese are living with HIV/AIDS, and the adult HIV-prevalence rate is 4.9 percent. The 2004 annual report on global TB control estimated that HIV-tuberculosis coinfection exists at a rate of 24 percent. The WHO estimated the malaria death rate for children under five at one percent annually, and a tuberculosis death rate of 90 per 100,000 for all ages (WHO 2004).

Sources: BBC country profile, CIA World Factbook, Synergy Project, International Rescue Committee, United Nations Statistics Division, Global Security.org: Congo Civil War, IRIN, June 14 2004, WHO Report 2004: Global Tuberculosis Control

The DRC's national health policy currently focuses on improving access to primary health care services. To achieve this goal the DRC is working closely with international partners, including USAID, CDC's Global AIDS Program, IUATLD, and the Global Partnership to Stop TB.

DOTS has been adopted as the national strategy for TB, but funds are severely limited. The DRC is known to have an underdeveloped primary care system. DOTS population coverage has been estimated at 70 percent of the population (in 2002). The DOTS detection rate for 2002 was 52 percent, and the treatment success was 77 percent for the 2001 cohort. The National Tuberculosis Control Program is currently implementing a 2001-2005 DOTS expansion plan, however this program remainds underfunded. WHO, DFB and the IUATLD are providing technical support.

Collaborative TB/HIV work is coordinated by the Ministry of Health, NGOs and research organizations and national and provincial TB/HIV coordinating bodies have been established.

Sources: Synergy Project, WHO Report 2004: Global Tuberculosis Control

Demographic data contained in this section was obtained from the following sources: The Population Reference Bureau’s 2009 World Population Data Sheet was used for total population, life expectancy at birth, infant mortality, fertility, birth rate, death rate, % of married women 15-49 using modern methods of contraception, % of population 15-49 with HIV/AIDS in 2007/2008, and the GNI PPP per capita (2008). Literacy rates were found in the Population Reference Bureau’s publication 2005 Women of Our World. HIV prevalence data for 2001 and 2003 was obtained from the UNAIDS Barcelona 2002 report; HIV prevalence and orphan data for 2005 was obtained from the UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic 2006. Data on the % women who have discussed AIDS prevention with their husband or partner can be found in ORC Macro and USAID’s Women’s Lives and Experiences: Changes in the Past Ten Years (Research Findings from the Demographic and Health Surveys). Childhood malaria mortality data was accessed in 2003 from the United Nations Statistics Divisions’ Millennium Indicators. Tuberculosis data was obtained from the United Nations Statistics Division’s Millennium Indicators: MDGInfo 2006. In some cases information was unavailable.

Source: ABC News, WHO Emergency Profile for DRC

Universite Catholique de Bukavu, Faculty of Medicine ( website )

University of Kinshasa, The Faculty of Medicine: Ecole de Sante Publique ( website )

• Studies of malarial prevalence and mortality in several health districts
• Evaluations of malarial diagnostic capabilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Evaluations of behavior change strategies in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS
• Studies of condom usage in the military and in the capital city of Kinshasa

University of Kisangani, Faculty of Medicine

University of Lumumbashi, Faculty of Medicine

The WHO, the DFB (Damien Foundation Belgium) and the IUATLD all provide technical support for the DRC's tuberculosis control programs. Major donors include DFB, TLMI, ALM and ALTI. The EU and the Cooperation Belge work through DFB and others such as USAID, work through TLMI and IUATLD. The GDF provides drugs for part of the country.

Source: WHO Report 2004, Global TB Control

Entity	Project Title	Diseases	Primary Category	Secondary Category
NIH	Safe Pregnancy by Infectious Disease Control in Kinshasa	HIV/AIDS,Tuberculosis,Malaria	Drug Development	Prevention,Capacity
	(PI: Robert Ryder. 2003-2008.) This project is investiagting integrated treatment approaches to simultaneously address malaria, TB and HIV in...
NIH	Study of Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Artesunate in Pregnant Women in the Democratic Republic of Congo	Malaria	Drug Development	Prevention
	National Institute of Child Heath and Human Development (Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research); Bill and Melinda Gates...
NIH	Peer Intervention as Pedagogic Paradigm in Kinshasa SPH	HIV/AIDS	Epidemiology	Prevention
	(PI: Robert Ryder. 2002-2007.) This is a University of North Carolina and Johns Hopkins University collaboration with the Kinshasa School of Public...
NIH	Neurodevelopment and HIV/AIDS	HIV/AIDS	Capacity	Epidemiology,Capacity
	(PI: Annelies van Rie. 2003-2005.) This is a planning grant to build capacity for a longitudinal study of pediatric HIV/AIDS and its contribution to...
NIH	African Development Fund	HIV/AIDS	General
	The African Development Fund (ADF) has approved a grant equivalent of $8.352 million US to finance a project in support of the implementation of the...
Other US	USAID	HIV/AIDS,Tuberculosis,Malaria	General
	The USAID program in the DRC resumed in 1999. In the health sector, USAID supports: training and improving the management capacity of ...
International	UN Agencies	Malaria	Prevention
	In 2002 UNICEF launched an ambitious program to provide 160,000 treated bednets to families with children in the Kinshasa area. A shortage of funds...
International	World Health Organization	HIV/AIDS	General
	The government of the DRC used a US $500,000 grant from the World Health Organization, together with money from other international agencies, to...
International	Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM)	HIV/AIDS,Tuberculosis,Malaria	General
	In June, 2003, the GFATM signed a grant agreement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo to support a $6.4 million tuberculosis program in the...
International	Effect of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) Supplement after an Episode of Malaria Falciparum on Weight	Malaria	General
	Medecins Sans Frontieres(PI: Saskia van der Kam). 160 children between the ages of 6 and 59 months will be enrolled in this study, designed to...
NGO	Medecins Sans Frontieres	HIV/AIDS,Tuberculosis,Malaria	General
	MSF remained active in the DRC throughout the period of war, providing basic health care services, emergency nutritional services, and HIV/AIDS...
NGO	Aid to Leprosy and Tuberculosis in Ituri (ALTI)	Tuberculosis	General
	The Aid to Leprosy and Tuberculosis in Ituri (ALTI) project is sponsored by the Aktion Canchanabury program of Hans Reinhardt e. v., an NGO based in...
Foundation	Pyronaridine Artesunate 3:1 Granule Formulation vs. Coartem© Crushed Tablets in P. Falciparum Malaria Pediatric Patients	Malaria	Drug Development
	Medicines for Malaria Venture, Shin Poong Pharmaceuticals (Study Director: Claude Oeuvray; PIs: Alfred Tiono, Antoinette Tshefu Kitoto, Louis...

1. In August 2002 the World Bank announced a $44 million IDA grant to support the health sector in the DRC. The grant will support HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and programs addressing other deadly diseases. The primary beneficiaries will be mothers, children, and victims of the war.

2. The US-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently added the DRC as a Global AIDS Program (GAP) country. No further details are currently available.

   Source: CDC