About 300 000 cases of cholera were recorded in Africa last year, the highest number in 25 years.
This is evidenced by data from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Reuters reports.
More than 7 000 people have died from the disease, with the total number of cases increasing by 30% compared to last year.
The causes of the epidemic are the destruction of water infrastructure and lack of access to safe water. The largest number of cases are observed in Angola and Burundi.
The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is gradually stabilizing, and in South Sudan and Somalia it has improved. However, in areas where fighting continues, the risks remain high: cholera is spreading rapidly in overcrowded camps with poor sanitation.
Eight suspected cases of hemorrhagic fever have also been detected in Ethiopia. Meanwhile, the monkeypox outbreak is on the decline, but cases are still being recorded in Kenya, Guinea, Liberia and Ghana.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infectious disease caused by a bacterium, the so-called “Vibrio” cholerae V. cholerae. The disease is transmitted by the fecal-oral route from person to person, most often through the consumption of contaminated water, vegetables, fruits, while bathing, as well as through food and household contacts. Cholera can be fatal. In severe or moderate cases of the disease and without adequate medical care, death can occur due to loss of fluid and electrolytes.
- In 2022, Lebanon recorded its first case of cholera in 30 years in a rural area north of Akkar.
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