WHO says the increasing rate of Cholera cases in Africa, alarming

Over 26,000 new cholera cases and 600 deaths have been recorded within a month in some 15 African countries. The World health organization worried about the situation says Africa is experiencing an exponential increase in the number of cholera cases amidst a sharp rise in global figures.

The information was revealed by the organization during an online press conference on February 10th.

The organization says the number of cases reported in the first month of 2023 alone has already reached over 30% of the total number of cases recorded in 2022. Last year about 80,000 cholera cases and 1863 deaths were recorded in 15 cholera-affected countries.

According to the WHO Director Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, the number of infected cases could exceed the 2021 records if measures are not been put in place. He estimates that a total of more than one billion people worldwide were at risk of contracting the disease.
“Cholera spreads through contaminated water, so clean water is urgently needed wherever there is an acute epidemic, to prevent transmission, countries at risk of cholera epidemics should intensify surveillance so that cases can be identified and managed as quickly as possible,”.

The majority of the new cases in Africa are found in Cameroon, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC.

He goes further to blame the increase in the number of cases on the government’s concentration on other diseases such as Covid 19 and poliomyelitis.

The WHO equally pointed out the fact that resources are been channeled to other issues such as armed conflicts and are further aggravated by the shortage of vaccines in the affected countries.

They highlighted that in-other to better contain the spread of the disease the government needs to urgently step up sensitization campaigns and also put in place a response strategy.

In Cameroon, the latest data on the epidemic as of January 24, shows 303 deaths, and 15,157 cases have been recorded for the disease.

The WHO insists that countries at risk of cholera should intensify surveillance so that cases can be identified and managed as quickly as possible and they equally blame the increase in the number of cases on the government’s concentration on other diseases such as Covid 19 and poliomyelitis.