CAPE TOWN – A Cholera outbreak in Cameroon has claimed the lives of 29 people in one week, according to local media reports.
Yesterday, the country’s health minister announced that most of the deaths occurred in three cities in the west of the country, which has seen a spike in cases of the water-borne disease.
Between March 16 and 22, an outbreak of cholera was observed in the South West region with more than 300 cases, that is, 43 cases and 20 deaths in Kumba, 111 cases and 2 deaths in Buea, 122 cases in Limbe , 68 cases and 05 deaths in Tiko. Also 16 cases and 02 deaths in Yaounde.
— Dr MANAOUDA MALACHIE (@DrManaouda) March 24, 2022
The disease, which is an acute form of diarrhoea that is treatable with antibiotics and hydration, can kill within hours if left untreated.
According to the health ministry, a total of 62 people had died since October 2021 and over the period nearly 2 100 cases had been detected. Authorities added that they were co-ordinating a vaccination campaign and other measures to contain the outbreak.
Last month, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that 34 people had died of the disease by February 22, citing a Xinhua report.
According to reports, cholera cases were first reported in localities in the Littoral and south-west regions of the country in early January.
The last epidemic was between January and August 2020, when 66 people died, according to Medical Xpress.com.
Cholera is caused by a germ that is typically transmitted by poor sanitation. People become infected when they swallow food or water carrying the bug.
Cholera is endemic in Cameroon. According to the World Health Organization, since 2018, cholera outbreaks have been reported annually in various regions of the country including in the currently affected regions (South-West, Centre and Littoral).
IOL