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| African and Middle East Cholera outbreak | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 16 Aug 2014, 01:16 AM (289 Views) | |
| skibboy | 16 Aug 2014, 01:16 AM Post #1 |
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15 August 2014 Ghana cholera outbreak at 'staggering' level AFP A cholera outbreak in Ghana's capital has reached "staggering" levels, an official said Friday, blaming poor sanitation and overcrowded health facilities for the rapid spread of the disease. Cholera has killed more than 40 people in Accra since June and infected 3,100 others, according to the Ghana Health Service. While the sprawling city has been hit by cholera before, the director of health services for the greater Accra region, Linda Van Otoo, said the current outbreak was "staggering". "It is a total outbreak and the cases in Accra keep increasing daily," Otoo said. "We are in a pandemic situation and doing our best to deal with it." Cholera causes diarrhoea, dehydration and death if left untreated. It is transmitted by ingesting food or drink contaminated with human waste. Otoo puts the blame for the outbreak on poor sanitation in Accra's more impoverished districts. While President John Dramani Mahama's administration has built new roads and facilities around the capital, residents in neighbourhoods hardest-hit by cholera often defecate on nearby beaches and buy from merchants selling food next to overflowing gutters. "(People) should wash their hands with tap water and soap and if possible avoid handshakes at public gatherings," Otoo said. "People continue to buy food near choked drains and public toilets and that is dangerous." Source:
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| skibboy | 17 Feb 2015, 01:48 AM Post #2 |
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16 February 2015 Death toll rises to 28 in Mozambique cholera epidemic © AFP/File | Women wade through flood water on the outskirts of Chokwe, Mozambique, near the Limpopo river on January 26, 2011, after water levels rose and thousands abandoned their houses for higher ground MAPUTO (AFP) - The death toll from a cholera epidemic in Mozambique that broke out after widespread flooding has climbed to 28, the government said Monday. There are fears the outbreak is accelerating with the number of infections hitting 2,400 compared with 1,702 cases and 19 deaths reported last week. "We are particularly concerned by the (situation in the) city of Tete where we are seeing an upsurge in new cases with an average of 70 admissions per day," Benigna Matsinhe, a deputy director in the health ministry, told reporters. Tete lies in northern Mozambique near the borders with Malawi and Zimbabwe. Mozambique regularly suffers outbreaks of cholera and diarrhoea during its summer rainy season which runs between October and March. But heavy rains and floods that lashed the country between December and January, killing 158 people and affecting 170,000, have hastened the spread of cholera. Some 650 schools were destroyed by the high waters, and authorities estimate $1.5 million (1.3 million euros) will be needed to rebuild classrooms in the hardest-hit Zambezia province alone. Mozambique's deadliest floods were in 2000, when an estimated 800 people were killed. Source:
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| skibboy | 13 Aug 2016, 12:09 AM Post #3 |
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12 August 2016 16 dead in C.Africa cholera outbreak © AFP/File | At least 16 people have died in the Central African Republic's first cholera outbreak in five years, UNICEF said, adding that young children under five years of age are "particularly vulnerable" to the disease BANGUI (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC) (AFP) - At least 16 people have died in the Central African Republic's first cholera outbreak in five years, UNICEF said on Friday. The UN children's agency said 66 cases had been recorded along the Oubangui River since the government declared the outbreak on Wednesday. A government toll on Tuesday had put the toll at 10 dead. Cholera is transmitted through contaminated drinking water and causes acute diarrhoea. "Young children, especially those under five years of age, are particularly vulnerable to this deadly disease," said UNICEF's representative in CAR, Mohammed Malick Fall. The outbreak started in Djoukou, a remote area around 100 kilometres (62 miles) up the river from the capital Bangui. "Communities in this area have little or no access to clean water and use the Oubangui river as their primary source of water," UNICEF said in a statement, adding that it was providing medicine, clean water and equipment to local residents. "Affected people travelling in overcrowded boats have carried the bacteria downstream." The last major outbreak of cholera in CAR, in 2011, left around 20 people dead around the capital. Already one of the poorest countries on the planet, CAR is struggling to recover from a bloody two-year conflict that broke out in 2013 between mainly Muslim Seleka rebels and Christian vigilantes known as "anti-balaka" (anti-machete) militias. The bloodletting left thousands of people dead and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee their homes, according to the UN. Source:
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| skibboy | 3 Sep 2016, 12:37 AM Post #4 |
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02 September 2016 Cholera kills 517 in DR Congo, jab drive planned: WHO © AFP/File | Cholera is endemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo but usually only affects the east of the country GENEVA (AFP) - A cholera epidemic has killed more than 500 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization said Friday, as it prepared to launch a vaccination campaign in Kinshasa. The United Nations health agency voiced deep concern over the outbreak that has infected some 18,000 people, including 517 who have died, since the beginning of the year. Cholera is endemic in DR Congo, but usually only affects the east of the country. This time however, the acute diarrhoeal infection has spread west along the Congo river and has reached Kinshasa for the first time in five years. The capital has suffered 13 cases and two deaths since August 13, Dominique Legros, head of WHO's cholera division, told reporters in Geneva. "That's very worrisome because it affects places where there is usually no cases of cholera, no immunity in the population, (and) the health staff is not used to cholera cases," he said, pointing out that in such areas the mortality rate is often very high. In a bid to stem the epidemic, Legros said WHO was sending support materials and experts to DR Congo and that it had decided Friday to support a large-scale vaccination campaign in Kinshasa. In all, some 300,000 people living in the most risk-prone parts of the capital will receive the two-dose vaccine, getting the first jab between September 22 and 25 -- and the second two weeks later. "The objective is to try to contain the outbreak and avoid that we have similar situation like we had five years ago," he said, referring to the last outbreak in Kinshasa in 2011, which over a two-year period infected some 2,200 people and killed 88. Across the country, that outbreak made 21,750 people ill and left 424 people dead. Cholera is transmitted through contaminated drinking water and causes acute diarrhoea, with children facing a particularly high risk of infection. There are between 1.4 and 4.3 million cases of the disease worldwide each year, and as many as 142,000 deaths, according to WHO statistics. Source:
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| skibboy | 11 Apr 2017, 02:11 AM Post #5 |
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11 April 2017 El Nino can warn on cholera outbreaks in Africa: study ![]() © AFP/File | Scientists found that during the years when El Nino is warming the eastern Pacific, East Africa has about 50,000 additional cholera cases a year WASHINGTON (AFP) - El Nino, the cyclical climatic phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, is linked to shifts in cholera cases in Africa, providing an early warning that could save lives, scientists said Monday. During the years when El Nino is warming the eastern Pacific, East Africa has about 50,000 additional cholera cases a year, new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests. By contrast, the years when El Nino is not active, there were 30,000 fewer cholera cases in East Africa, according to the study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers analyzed more than 17,000 annual observations from 3,710 different locations between 2000 and 2014 in Africa, which has the most cholera deaths in the world. The total number of cases of cholera across Africa as a whole were about the same in El Nino years as compared with non-El Nino years, but the geographic distribution of illnesses was "fundamentally different," the study's authors said in a statement. In total, 177 million people live in Africa in the regions where cholera cases spike with El Nino, and even triple in certain areas. Cholera is an infectious bacterial disease that can be fatal. It is typically caught from infected water supplies, resulting in severe vomiting and diarrhea. "We usually know when El Nino is coming six to 12 months before it occurs," said study leader Justin Lessler, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Bloomberg School. "Knowing there is elevated cholera risk in a particular region can help reduce the number of deaths that result," he said. "If you have cholera treatment centers available, fast, supportive care can reduce the fatality rate from cholera from as high as 30 percent to next to nothing." El Nino conditions in the equatorial Pacific strongly impact weather conditions globally, including increasing rainfall in East Africa and decreasing rainfall in drier areas of northern and southern Africa. In some areas, heavy rainfalls can cause sewers to overrun and contaminate drinking water. In other parts of Africa, the dry conditions can make clean water sources less available and people are force to consume water from contaminated sources, the researchers noted. There is a vaccine against cholera but its protection is not lifelong. In addition, there is not enough supply of the vaccine to cover the populations in the African regions where the incidence of cholera is linked to El Nino. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 7 May 2017, 11:59 PM Post #6 |
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07 May 2017 Hundreds of suspected cholera cases in Yemen: MSF ![]() © AFP/File | A Yemeni woman suspected of being infected with cholera receives treatment at a hospital in Sanaa on May 6, 2017 SANAA (AFP) - At least 570 suspected cases of cholera have surfaced in war-torn Yemen in the past three weeks, sparking fears of a potential epidemic, Doctors Without Borders said Sunday. Healthcare has dramatically deteriorated in Yemen as conflict between Iran-backed rebels and the Saudi-supported government continues to escalate, leaving hospitals destroyed and millions struggling to find access to food and clean water. The World Health Organisation now classifies Yemen as one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world alongside Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria and Iraq. "We've treated more than 570 cases we suspect may be cholera over the past three weeks," Doctors Without Borders (MSF) spokesman Ghassan Abou Chaar told AFP. "There are fears that the disease could turn into an epidemic. Two years into the war, the healthcare system has collapsed, hospitals are destroyed... and government employees' salaries have not been paid," Abou Chaar said. He said MSF had seen a marked hike over the past week in suspected cholera cases in five provinces across the country. A general strike in the capital Sanaa has also sparked sanitation concerns in the capital, as the streets began to flood with garbage at the weekend. An official with Yemen's health ministry confirmed cholera had reappeared last week in Yemen, with cases reported in 10 provinces across the country. Ministry spokesman Abdelhakim al-Kahlani told AFP two cholera-related deaths had been confirmed in Sanaa, three in the central Ibb province and four in the western Hodeida province. Yemen has been devastated by two years of conflict between Huthi rebels and forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, including a Saudi-led military coalition. The Shiite Huthis control the capital, much of the Red Sea coastline and the northern province that borders Saudi Arabia. The United Nations estimates more than 7,700 people have been killed and millions displaced since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015. The fighting has left 19 million people -- or 60 percent of the population -- struggling to find food, the United Nations says, with a third of the country's provinces on the brink of famine. A cholera and acute watery diarrhoea outbreak last year killed 99 people, with 15,658 suspected cases of cholera reported. Cholera, a bacterial infection which causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration, can be fatal if not treated immediately. The infection is spread through the ingestion of faecally contaminated water or food. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 10 May 2017, 12:54 AM Post #7 |
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Yemen war: Surge in cholera outbreak kills 34 - WHO 6 hours ago ![]() Children are particularly vulnerable to the water-borne disease A resurgence of a cholera outbreak in war-torn Yemen is believed to have killed 34 people in the past two weeks. The World Health Organisation says 2,022 suspected cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) were reported between 27 April and 7 May. Some 26,000 people have now been affected since October by the outbreak, which subsided over the winter. The country's health system and civilian infrastructure are collapsing after two years of conflict. The WHO says fewer than 45% of health facilities are fully functioning, with almost 300 damaged or destroyed in fighting between forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi - who is backed by a Saudi-led multinational coalition - and those allied to the Houthi rebel movement. More than eight million people also lack access to drinking water and sanitation. A WHO spokesman said recent heavy rains had washed away piles of uncollected waste into wells and water sources. In addition, warmer weather is creating a favourable environment for the pathogens that cause cholera to spread. Cholera is a water-borne disease that is transmitted through contaminated water and food. Symptoms include acute diarrhoea and vomiting. People ill with cholera can become very sick and, when it is left untreated, death can occur within hours. ![]() The WHO said preventing the spread of the outbreak was a "high priority" Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which has set up cholera treatment centres within five hospitals to isolate and treat patients presenting symptoms and is supporting other facilities, expressed fear that the local health authorities alone would not be able to deal with the surge in cases. "We are very concerned that the disease will continue to spread and become out of control," warned the charity's head of mission in Yemen, Shinjiro Murata. Mr Murata said humanitarian assistance needed to be scaled up urgently. ![]() MSF said local health authorities alone might not be able to deal with the surge The WHO spokesman said preventing the spread of the outbreak was a high priority and that it was co-ordinating efforts "with all parties to ensure an effective and rapid response". The UN says more than 8,010 people - mostly civilians - have been killed and close to 44,500 others injured since the conflict in Yemen escalated in March 2015. The fighting has also left 18.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. ![]() Source: .com
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| skibboy | 14 May 2017, 11:40 PM Post #8 |
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14 May 2017 115 dead as Yemen cholera outbreak spreads ![]() © AFP/File | It is the second outbreak of cholera in less than a year in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country SANAA (AFP) - A cholera outbreak in war-torn Yemen has killed 115 people and left 8,500 ill as hospitals struggle to cope with an influx of patients, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday. "We now are facing a serious outbreak of cholera," said ICRC director of operations Dominik Stillhart at a news conference in the capital Sanaa. Citing figures compiled by the Yemeni health ministry, Stillhart said 115 people had died of cholera between April 27 and Saturday. More than 8,500 suspected cases of the waterborne disease were reported in the same period in 14 governorates across Yemen, Stillhart said, up from 2,300 cases in 10 governorates last week. This is the second outbreak of cholera in less than a year in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country. Yemen is witnessing a devastating war between the Saudi-supported government and Iranian-backed Huthi rebels, and less than half of the country's health facilities are functioning two years into the conflict. Stillhart said hospitals were filled beyond capacity with patients displaying symptoms of cholera, a bacterial infection contracted through ingesting contaminated food or water. "There are up to four cholera patients in one single bed," Stillhart said. "There are people in the garden, and some even in their cars with the IV drip hanging from the window." The World Health Organization now classifies Yemen as one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world alongside Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria and Iraq. Critical food imports are also at an all-time low as many of the country's Red Sea ports are blockaded. The United Nations has warned 17 million people -- equivalent to two-thirds of the population -- are at imminent risk of famine in Yemen. More than 8,000 people have been killed since the Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened to support Yemen's government in 2015, according to the WHO. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 15 May 2017, 11:38 PM Post #9 |
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Yemen war: Emergency in Sanaa as cholera kills scores 15 May 2017 ![]() Children are especially vulnerable to the water-borne disease A state of emergency has been declared in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, after an outbreak of cholera killed scores of people. Hospitals in the city, which is controlled by Houthi rebels, are crowded with cholera patients. The Red Cross says the number of suspected cases in the country has tripled in a week to more than 8,500. Yemen has been ravaged by hunger and civil war, allowing disease to spread rapidly. Two-thirds of the population do not have access to safe drinking water, according to the UN. Dominik Stillhart, director of operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross, told a news conference in Sanaa on Sunday that there had been 115 deaths from cholera nationwide from 27 April - 13 May. "We now are facing a serious outbreak," he said. ![]() Lack of clean drinking water is exacerbating the problem Sanaa has been worst hit, followed by the surrounding province of Amanat al-Semah, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says. Cholera is a water-borne disease that is transmitted through contaminated water and food. Symptoms include acute diarrhoea and vomiting. People with cholera can become very sick and, if left untreated, death can occur within hours. Some 32,000 people have now been affected since October by the cholera outbreak, which subsided over the winter. The WHO said last week that fewer than 45% of health facilities in Yemen were fully functioning. Almost 300 hospitals or clinics have been damaged or destroyed in fighting between forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi - who is backed by a Saudi-led multinational coalition - and those allied to the Houthi rebel movement. Since fighting escalated in March 2015, more than 8,010 people - mostly civilians - have been killed and about 44,500 others injured, the UN says. The civil war has also left 18.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 23 May 2017, 11:52 PM Post #10 |
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Yemen war: Major cholera epidemic feared, says charity 22 May 2017 ![]() Children in Sanaa receiving treatment for cholera symptoms A major epidemic of cholera is feared in Yemen, according to charity Save the Children. Almost 250 people have died of the disease this month alone, with hundreds of suspected cases being reported every day, it says. The World Health Organization said the water-borne illness is spreading at an alarming rate in the war-torn country. Sanaa has been the worst affected area, with a state of emergency declared in the rebel-held capital last week. Save the Children fears thousands of people could die of the easily treatable disease, and said more than two million malnourished children are particularly at risk. Cholera is a water-borne disease that is transmitted through contaminated water and food. Symptoms include acute diarrhoea and vomiting. People ill with cholera can become very sick and, when it is left untreated, death can occur within hours. Charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which has set up cholera treatment centres in the country, also fears the outbreak will spiral out of control. "Before the outbreak, the health system was already overstretched and people's health needs were already huge," says Ghassan Abou Chaar, MSF's head of mission in Yemen. "To bring the outbreak under control, it won't be enough simply to treat those people who reach medical facilities. We also need to address the source of the disease, by improving water and sanitation and working in communities to prevent new cases." ![]() Children collect safe drinking water in Sanaa The WHO says fewer than 45% of health facilities are fully functioning in Yemen, with almost 300 damaged or destroyed in fighting between forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi - who is backed by a Saudi-led multinational coalition - and those allied to the Houthi rebel movement. Save the Children said all sides in the conflict should end restrictions on the import of aid immediately. More than eight million people lack access to drinking water and sanitation. ![]() MSF said local health authorities alone might not be able to deal with the surge More than 8,000 people - mostly civilians - have been killed and close to 44,500 others injured since the conflict in Yemen escalated in March 2015, according to the UN. The fighting has also left 18.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. ![]() Source: .com
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| skibboy | 8 Jun 2017, 11:25 PM Post #11 |
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Yemen cholera cases pass 100,000 amid 'unprecedented' epidemic 9 hours ago The number of suspected cases of cholera resulting from a severe outbreak in Yemen has passed 100,000, the World Health Organization says. A total of 798 deaths associated with the disease have been recorded in 19 out of 22 provinces since 27 April. The charity Oxfam said the epidemic was killing one person almost every hour. Yemen's health, water and sanitation systems are collapsing after two years of war between government forces and the rebel Houthi movement. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. Most of those infected will have no or mild symptoms but, in severe cases, the disease can kill within hours if left untreated. On Wednesday, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the epidemic in Yemen was "of an unprecedented scale". In the past four weeks, it added, the number of deaths had been three times higher than that reported between October 2016 - when Yemen's government first announced an outbreak - and March 2017. ![]() A state of emergency has been declared by the authorities in rebel-controlled Sanaa The authorities in the rebel-controlled capital Sanaa, which has recorded the highest number of cases, declared a state of emergency on 14 May. More than half of the country's health facilities are no longer functioning, with almost 300 having been damaged or destroyed in the fighting. Health and sanitation workers have not been paid for eight months; only 30% of required medical supplies are being imported into the country; rubbish collection in the cities is irregular; and more than 8 million people lack access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation. The OCHA said the risk of the epidemic spreading further was compounded by the rainy season, widespread food insecurity and malnutrition. ![]() Malnourished children and women, and people with other chronic conditions, are at greatest risk The war has left 18.8 million of Yemen's 28 million people needing humanitarian assistance and almost 7 million on the brink of famine. Oxfam's Yemen country director, Sajjad Mohammed Sajid, meanwhile warned that the outbreak was set to be one of the worst this century if there was not a massive and immediate effort to bring it under control. "Cholera is simple to treat and prevent but while the fighting continues the task is made doubly difficult. A massive aid effort is needed now," he said. "Those backers of this war in Western and Middle Eastern capitals need to put pressure on parties to the fighting to agree a ceasefire to allow public health and aid workers to get on with the task." A Saudi-led multinational coalition - backed by the US and UK - launched a military campaign in support of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi in March 2015. Since then, at least 8,050 people have been killed and 45,100 others injured. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 23 Jun 2017, 12:54 AM Post #12 |
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Kenya cholera outbreak hits dozens at health conference 9 hours ago ![]() It is not clear what triggered the latest cholera outbreak (file picture of Kibera slum in 2015) Nearly 50 people have contracted cholera while attending a health conference in Kenya's capital. The infected delegates were among hundreds who had gathered for the four day forum organised by the Ministry of Health at a Nairobi hotel on Tuesday. They have been isolated in a city hospital, but health officials say the number of people infected may rise. It is unclear how they caught the disease, which has led to five deaths in the past month. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. Most of those infected will have no or mild symptoms but, in severe cases, the disease can kill within hours if left untreated. In Yemen, a large cholera outbreak is fast approaching 300,000 cases, according to UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien. He described it as a "man-made catastrophe" caused by both sides of the country's ongoing civil war. In a press release on 24 May, Kenya's Ministry of Health said there had been 146 cases across the country since the outbreak began. Some of those infected had attended a wedding at an upmarket estate in Nairobi. As a result, authorities put in place emergency measures to try and curb its spread. An outbreak two years ago killed 65 people across Kenya. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 24 Jun 2017, 11:28 PM Post #13 |
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Yemen cholera cases 'pass 200,000' 39 minutes ago ![]() No part of Yemen has been spared from the cholera outbreak, the UN says The number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen has now exceeded 200,000, the United Nations says. The joint statement by Unicef and the World Health Organization said the country was now facing the worst cholera outbreak anywhere in the world. The two UN agencies say they are doing everything they can to stop the outbreak from accelerating. So far more than 1,300 people have died - one quarter of them children - with the death toll expected to rise. "In just two months, cholera has spread to almost every governorate of this war-torn country," the statement says, with an estimated 5,000 new cases every day. ![]() Children have been hit especially hard by the cholera outbreak ![]() Hospitals have been overwhelmed by the number of people afflicted by cholera Yemen's health, water and sanitation systems are collapsing after two years of war between government forces and the rebel Houthi movement. Hospitals are overcrowded and severe food shortages have led to widespread malnutrition, making Yemenis - especially children - even more vulnerable to cholera. The UN says it is deploying rapid-response teams to go house-to-house telling people how to protect themselves by cleaning and storing drinking water. But clean water is in short supply. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. Most of those infected will have no or mild symptoms but, in severe cases, the disease can kill within hours if left untreated. The war has left 18.8 million of Yemen's 28 million people needing humanitarian assistance and almost seven million on the brink of famine. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 10 Jul 2017, 11:27 PM Post #14 |
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Yemen cholera cases pass 300,000 as outbreak spirals - ICRC 7 hours ago A cholera outbreak in war-torn Yemen is thought to have infected 300,000 people in the past 10 weeks, the International Committee of the Red Cross says. The situation has continued to "spiral out of control", with about 7,000 new cases every day, the ICRC warned. More than 1,700 associated deaths have been reported, according to the UN. Yemen's health, water and sanitation systems are collapsing after two years of conflict between pro-government forces and the rebel Houthi movement. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. Most of those infected will have no or mild symptoms but, in severe cases, the disease can kill within hours if left untreated. On 24 June, the World Health Organisation declared that Yemen was facing "the worst cholera outbreak in the world", with more than 200,000 suspected cases. In just over two weeks, another 100,000 people have been infected - an increase the ICRC's Middle East regional director Roberto Mardini called "disturbing". ![]() The war has left less than half of Yemen's medical facilities functional The WHO said on Saturday that 297,438 cases had been recorded, but the agency was still analysing the latest figures from the Yemeni health ministry on Monday. The outbreak has affected all but one of Yemen's 23 provinces. The four most affected provinces - Sanaa, Hudaydah, Hajja and Amran - have reported almost half of the cases. UN agencies say the outbreak is the direct consequence of the civil war, with 14.5 million people cut off from regular access to clean water and sanitation. More than half of health facilities are no longer functioning, with almost 300 having been damaged or destroyed, and some 30,000 local health workers who are key to dealing with the outbreak have not been paid for 10 months. Rising rates of malnutrition have weakened the health of vulnerable people - above all children under the age of 15 and the elderly - and made them more vulnerable to the disease. Last week, the UN's humanitarian co-ordinator in Yemen warned that humanitarian organisations had been forced to divert resources away from combating malnutrition to deal with the cholera outbreak, raising the risk of a famine. "If we don't get these resources replaced, then using those resources for cholera will mean that food insecurity will suffer," Jamie McGoldrick said. "We're trying to do our best, but it's very much beyond what we can cope with." Source: .com
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| skibboy | 13 Jul 2017, 01:06 AM Post #15 |
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12 July 2017 UN blames Yemen warring sides for 'man-made' cholera crisis ![]() © AFP/File | This photo from June 2017 shows an infant suspected of being among Yemen's 320,000 cholera cases in what a UN aid official calls a man-made scandal UNITED NATIONS (UNITED STATES) (AFP) - The UN aid chief on Wednesday blamed Yemen's warring parties and their foreign backers for a 'man-made' cholera outbreak affecting 320,000 people in a country already reeling from war and severe food shortages. "This cholera scandal is entirely man-made by the conflicting parties and those beyond Yemen's borders who are leading, supplying, fighting and perpetuating the fear and fighting," Stephen O'Brien told the UN Security Council. The humanitarian crisis "is a direct result of the conflict and serious violations of international law," he said. More than 320,000 suspected cholera cases have been reported in nearly all of Yemen's districts and at least 1,740 people have died from the outbreak, said O'Brien, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs. Describing the humanitarian crisis as "appalling", Yemen's UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the country was in the throes of not "a single emergency but a number of complex emergencies". More than seven million people are at risk of famine including 2.3 malnourished children under the age of five in Yemen, already among the Arab world's poorest countries. Yemen's health system has collapsed during the war pitting the Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally recognized Yemeni government and Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels since March 2015. The Huthi rebels still hold the capital Sanaa and Taez, the country's third largest city. O'Brien appealed for $250 million in funding for the UN response to the cholera crisis. So far, only $47 million has been received. He also urged council powers to take action to ensure public servants are paid so that health facilities can reopen. The airport in Sanaa, which closed last year, must be reopened and the port of Hodeida, a crucial lifeline for deliveries of food and medicine, must be kept safe from attack, O'Brien said. The aid chief urged Saudi Arabia to allow mobile cranes left in Dubai to arrive at Hodeida port. Riyadh has accused the Huthi rebels of using the port to smuggle weapons into the country. "You will have to lean much more heavily and effectively on the parties and those outside Yemen who are leading this policy and action," O'Brien told the council. Sources: cml/dw .com
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| skibboy | 24 Jul 2017, 01:17 AM Post #16 |
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23 July 2017 Yemen cholera cases could exceed 600,000 in 2017: Red Cross ADEN (YEMEN) (AFP) - More than 600,000 people are expected to contract cholera in Yemen this year, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned Sunday as the war-torn country's healthcare system faces collapse. One in every 45 Yemenis will have contracted the disease by December as "a direct consequence of a conflict that has devastated civilian infrastructure and brought the whole health system to its knees," the ICRC said in a statement. More than 370,000 people have fallen ill and 1,800 have died since late April in Yemen's second cholera outbreak in less than a year, according to the ICRC and the World Health Organization. A war between the Saudi-backed government and Iran-backed Huthi rebels has killed thousands of people and displaced millions. A string of vital ports along the country's Red Sea coastline are blockaded, leaving millions of people with limited access to food and medicine. Less than half of the country's medical facilities are currently functional. The war in Yemen, one of the world's most impoverished countries, has killed more than 8,000 people and wounded a further 44,500 since Saudi Arabia and its allies joined the conflict in 2015. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 3 Aug 2017, 12:49 AM Post #17 |
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Yemen conflict: Cholera risk for more than a million children By Tulip Mazumdar BBC News 2 August 2017 ![]() More than a million children in Yemen are at high risk of dying from cholera, says Save the Children. The charity warns that the children are severely malnourished, and living in some of the areas of the country worst hit by the disease. The number of people infected with the disease during the country's civil war has already reached more than 430,000. Malnourished children are at least three times more likely to die if they are infected with cholera. It is because their immune systems are weakened and they become less capable of fighting off the water-borne disease. Out of the million severely malnourished children under five living in Yemen's cholera hotspots, the charity says 200,000 are at imminent risk of starving to death. More than 1,900 people have died of the disease since April, a third of them were under 15 years old. Cholera is easy to treat, but with two years of war destroying much of the health system, and continued restrictions on urgently needed medical and food supplies, the charity says Yemen's children are "trapped in a cycle of starvation and sickness". Tamer Kirolos, Save the Children's country director for Yemen, said: "The tragedy is both malnutrition and cholera are easily treatable if you have access to basic healthcare. "But hospitals and clinics have been destroyed, government health workers haven't been paid for almost a year, and the delivery of vital aid is being obstructed." The warning comes as a senior UN official in the country described the situation in Yemen as "very bleak" with "no end in sight". The UN says 70% of the population - about 20 million people - are in need of humanitarian aid and 60% do not know where their next meal is coming from. Auke Lootsma from the UN Development Programme said the situation was like a bus "racing towards the edge of a cliff." "Historically, Yemen has been one of the poorest Arab nations, if not the poorest, with poverty and corruption, poor governance and poor infrastructure. The war has simply made it much worse," Mr Lootsma said. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 15 Aug 2017, 01:09 AM Post #18 |
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Yemen cholera epidemic: Cases exceed 500,000 in four months 7 hours ago ![]() More than 99% of people infected who can access health services are surviving The number of suspected cases of cholera resulting from an epidemic in war-torn Yemen has reached 500,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. At least 1,975 people have died since the waterborne disease began to spread rapidly at the end of April. The WHO said the overall caseload had declined since July, but that 5,000 people a day were still being infected. The disease spread due to deteriorating hygiene and sanitation conditions and disruptions to the water supply. More than 14 million people are cut off from regular access to clean water and sanitation in Yemen, and waste collection has ceased in major cities. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. Most of those infected will have no or mild symptoms but, in severe cases, the disease can kill within hours if left untreated. More than a quarter of those who have died and 41% of those who have been infected have been children, according to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Yemen's health service has struggled to cope with the cholera epidemic - currently the largest in the world - with more than half of all medical facilities closed due to damage sustained during more than two years of conflict between pro-government forces and the rebel Houthi movement. The WHO said shortages in medicines and supplies were persistent and widespread, and that 30,000 health workers had not been paid in almost a year. "Yemen's health workers are operating in impossible conditions," said the WHO's director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "Thousands of people are sick, but there are not enough hospitals, not enough medicines, not enough clean water. "These doctors and nurses are the backbone of the health response - without them we can do nothing in Yemen. They must be paid their wages so that they can continue to save lives." The WHO's director of emergency operations, Rick Brennan, meanwhile told the BBC that despite the "downward trend" in the number of cases, the rainy season might result in "spikes" during August and September. Dr Tedros called on all sides in Yemen's conflict, which has killed more than 8,160 people and injured 46,330 since March 2015, to urgently find a political solution. "The people of Yemen cannot bear it much longer - they need peace to rebuild their lives and their country," he added. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 6 Sep 2017, 01:53 AM Post #19 |
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Number of cholera cases in Yemen reaches 600,000![]() © Mohammed Huwais, AFP | A Yemeni child suspected of being infected with cholera receives treatment at Sabaeen Hospital in Sanaa, on June 13, 2017 Text by FRANCE 24 2017-09-05 The number of people hit by cholera in Yemen since an outbreak began in April has reached 612,703, data from the World Health Organization and Yemen’s health ministry showed on Tuesday. The growth of the epidemic has slowed in the past two months, but around 3,000 new daily cases have been reported in recent days and 2,048 people have died. The disease, spread by ingestion of food or water tainted with human faeces, can kill within hours if untreated. It has been largely eradicated in developed countries equipped with sanitation systems and water treatment. But Yemen’s devastating civil war, pitting a Saudi-led military coalition against the Iran-backed armed Houthi group, and economic collapse has made it extremely difficult to deal with catastrophes such as cholera and mass hunger. Yemen, which lies on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has been racked by war since September 2014, when Houthi Shiite rebels swept into the capital, Sanaa, and overthrew President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The fighting escalated in March 2015 when a coalition led by Saudi Arabia – and backed by the United States – began a campaign against Houthi forces in a bid to restore Hadi's government. Since then, the Iranian-backed Houthis have been dislodged from most of the south, but remain in control of Sanaa and much of the north. UN officials say the conflict has already killed over 10,000 people and displaced millions more, gutting the country’s health, water and sanitation systems. The Saudi-led coalition, in particular, has been repeatedly criticised for targeting civilians and non-military infrastructure. The World Health Organisation has said that millions of Yemenis remain cut off from clean water and waste collection has ceased in major cities. The organisation warned in August that more than one million children were at risk. Source: (FRANCE 24 with REUTERS) .com
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| skibboy | 10 Sep 2017, 12:56 AM Post #20 |
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09 September 2017 WHO sounds alarm over DRCongo cholera epidemic ![]() © AFP/File | A woman cares for her child as cholera victims sit on beds at a provisional French non-governmental organization Medecins Sans Frontieres clinic in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008 KINSHASA (AFP) - The World Health Organization on Saturday sounded the alarm over a cholera outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo which has already claimed 528 lives and reached "worrying proportions". The UN says cholera is a major public health problem in the country with millions of cases registered every year. Last year, the disease claimed 817 lives there, according to the WHO. "The cholera outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reached worrying proportions with 20 out of 26 provinces affected by the disease" the UN agency said in a statement. Cholera is transmitted through contaminated drinking water and causes acute diarrhoea, with children facing a particularly high risk of infection. There are between 1.4 and 4.3 million cases of the disease worldwide each year, and as many as 142,000 deaths, according to WHO statistics. As of September 2, Congolese authorities had recorded 24,217 suspected cases, it said. The outbreak has affected several cities and towns in the east, west and north, as well parts of the capital Kinshasa. WHO said the disease could resurface in the sprawling central Grand Kasai region where the infrastructure and sanitary conditions are skeletal. The last cholera outbreak here occurred in 2003. The UN health body said it was donating $400,000 to help deploy technical teams in priority zones and called on Congolese authorities to back efforts to stem the disease by cleaning up mounds of garbage and ensuring the supply of clean drinking water. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 5 Oct 2017, 12:03 AM Post #21 |
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First global pledge to end cholera by 2030 By Tulip Mazumdar Global health correspondent 3 October 2017 ![]() Health officials from around the world are meeting in France to commit to preventing 90% of cholera deaths by 2030. The disease, which is spread through contaminated water, kills about 100,000 people every year. It is the first time governments, the World Health Organization, aid agencies and donors have made such a pledge. It comes as Yemen continues to fight one of the worst cholera outbreaks on record. Cholera has been spreading in the war-torn country due to deteriorating hygiene and sanitation conditions and disruptions to the water supply. More than 770,000 people have been infected with the disease, which is easily treatable with the right medical equipment, and 2,000 have died. Many of the victims are children. These huge outbreaks tend to grab the headlines, but there are also frequent outbreaks in so-called cholera "hotspots". Disease of the poor Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. It can spread quickly and widely in cramped, dirty conditions. The infection is cheap to treat with rehydration salts, and easy to avoid altogether if people have access to clean water and decent toilet facilities. But about two billion people globally lack access to clean water and are potentially at risk of cholera, according to the World Health Organization. The UN health agency says weak health systems, and outbreaks not being detected early enough also contribute to the rapid spread of outbreaks. ![]() Dr Dominique Legros, who heads up the WHO's cholera programme, told the BBC: "We can't keep seeing these huge outbreaks every year. "We have the tools at hand to prevent them, so let's use them. "If you provide water and sanitation, it's enough to stop the transmission of cholera. "We've seen that today in countries like Senegal, where we have been able to stop transmission." Cholera is a disease of the poor, and building basic infrastructure for communities costs money. However, there is no expectation of any major pledges of cash at Tuesday's meeting. 'Badge of shame' The charity Wateraid estimates it would cost $40 (£30) per person to provide water, sanitation and hygiene. Its chief executive, Tim Wainwright, says that is "surprisingly affordable". "Looking around the world, the map of cholera outbreaks is essentially the same as a map of poverty and marginalisation. "The fact that this preventable disease still sickens 2.9 million people every year and kills 95,000 people is a global badge of shame." The oral cholera vaccine is another important part of the fight against this enduring disease. It only offers protection for up to 3 years. But in situations where outbreaks are highly likely, it can save thousands of lives. Some 900,000 doses of the vaccine are currently being sent to refugee camps in Bangladesh where almost half a million Rohingya Muslim refugees are gathering in squalid conditions after fleeing violence in neighbouring Myanmar, also known as Burma. "The vaccine alone doesn't solve the problem, the water and sanitation is a more long-term solution," said Dr Seth Berkley, chief executive of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations. "In the interim, we need to work to ensure we are doing both." Northern Europe and the US managed to eliminate cholera 150 years ago. Tuesday's pledge aims to, finally, achieve that goal for some of the world's poorest people. Estimated global annual cholera cases: - India: 675,188 cases, 20,266 deaths - Ethiopia: 275.221 cases, 10,458 deaths - Nigeria: 220,397 cases, 8,375 deaths - Haiti: 210,589 cases, 2,584 deaths Source: Johns Hopkins University Source: .com
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| skibboy | 22 Dec 2017, 01:16 AM Post #22 |
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Yemen cholera cases reach one million - ICRC 21 December 2017 ![]() The outbreak peaked in June, when some 50,000 suspected cases were reported in one week The number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen has reached one million, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says. At least 2,226 people are believed to have died of the disease since April, although the number of new cases has declined for 14 consecutive weeks. The ICRC said the outbreak was "amplifying the suffering of a country caught up in a brutal war". More than 80% of Yemenis lack food, fuel, water and access to healthcare. The war between forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the rebel Houthi movement has killed more than 8,670 people since March 2015. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. In severe cases, the disease can kill within hours if left untreated. The outbreak in Yemen peaked at the end of June, when more than 50,000 suspected cases were reported in one week across 22 out of 23 provinces. Since then, it has steadily declined. The latest figures released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday show that 7,622 suspected cases and one associated death were reported last week. However, WHO officials have warned that there could be a new wave of cases at the beginning of the rainy season in March if the Saudi-led coalition does not ease its blockade of Yemen and allow in more food, fuel and medicines. The blockade was tightened after the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in November. The coalition said it wanted to halt the smuggling of weapons to the rebels by Iran - an accusation that officials in Tehran denied - but the UN said the restrictions could trigger "the largest famine the world has seen for many decades". Yemen's health service has been unable to cope with the cholera outbreak, with more than half of all medical facilities closed due to damage sustained during the conflict. Hospitals have also faced crippling shortages of medicines, fuel and equipment because of the coalition blockade. ![]() Sixteen million Yemenis are cut off from regular access to clean water and sanitation Damage to infrastructure and a lack of fuel for pumping stations has also left 16 million people cut off from regular access to clean water and sanitation, increasing the likelihood of cholera spreading. Malnourished children are also at increased risk of dying from infectious diseases. In Yemen, some 1.8 million children are acutely malnourished, including 400,000 under the age of five with severe acute malnutrition. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 31 Dec 2017, 02:53 AM Post #23 |
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30 December 2017 Zambia deploys army to battle cholera after 41 deaths ![]() © AFP/File | Zambian President Edgar Lungu has promised a crackdown on street food stalls, bars and restaurants that do not meet minimum food hygiene standards LUSAKA (AFP) - Zambia's president Edgar Lungu has deployed the army to help combat a cholera outbreak that has claimed 41 lives in the capital Lusaka and affected 1,550 more since September. The initial outbreak began on September 28 according to the World Health Organization and Zambia's health ministry subsequently launched efforts to limit the spread of the disease. Cholera is a water-borne disease which goes hand in hand with poverty and while readily treatable can be lethal if unaddressed. "I have directed all the three wings of the Defence Force to join the Ministry of Health... to escalate efforts to minimise the spread of cholera in our capital city and the rest of the country," Lungu wrote on his official, verified Facebook page late Friday. "Lusaka has been recording an average of 60 new cases every day. I've noted with great sadness that a total of 41 people have died of the disease since its outbreak. "The outbreak was initially linked to contaminated water from shallow wells and unsanitary conditions in the residential and public areas affected. But we now note that the spread of cholera is being propagated through contaminated food." Lungu added that there would be a crackdown on street food stalls, bars and restaurants that do not meet minimum food hygiene standards. "I am deeply concerned at the rampaging advance of the outbreak," he said. Source: .com
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| skibboy | 23 Jan 2018, 12:28 AM Post #24 |
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By Flora Drury and Farouk Chothia Four cholera deaths in Zimbabwe Shingai Nyoka BBC Africa, Harare ![]() Zimbabwe has been hit by deadly cholera outbreaks in the past At least four people have died and scores of others infected following a cholera outbreak in a town south west of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare. Authorities say the disease outbreak is linked to water shortages in the mining town of Chegutu, but haven’t ruled out a link to the outbreak in neighbouring Zambia, where more than 60 people have died. They say the outbreak is under control, despite the rise in the number of cases. The four deaths include an 80-year-old woman and relatives who came in contact with her remains. So far 22 people are suspected to have contracted the disease, while an isolation zone has been created in Chegutu to nurse the sick. No-one wants a repeat of 2008, when the government was accused of a delayed response that left 4,000 dead and more than 90,000 infected. Health officials say they are on high alert, however Zimbabwe has battled to supply clean water to its cities as a result of decaying infrastructure for more than a decade. Cholera is a diarrheal disease caused by consuming contaminated food or water. Source: .com
Edited by skibboy, 23 Jan 2018, 12:29 AM.
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| skibboy | 4 May 2018, 01:28 AM Post #25 |
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04 May 2018 Study warns of cholera flare-up in beleaguered Yemen ![]() © AFP/File / by Mariëtte Le Roux | A Yemeni woman suspected of being infected with cholera receives treatment at a makeshift hospital in Sanaa on July 13, 2017 PARIS (AFP) - War-torn Yemen, caught in what the UN terms the world's worst humanitarian crisis, risks a resurgence of cholera that could infect millions as the rainy season advances, researchers warned Friday. Health authorities should "immediately" boost measures to mitigate risk, an international team urged in The Lancet Global Health. These could include vaccination, distributing equipment for filtering and disinfecting water, and repairing crumbling sanitation infrastructure. Based on data from previous outbreaks, the team calculated that 54 percent of districts in Yemen could be affected by an epidemic flare-up in 2018, "totalling a population at risk of more than 13.8 million." "We thus make an urgent call for action on the part of local officials, donors, and international partners, to mitigate the risk of a new cholera epidemic wave in Yemen, which would certainly further weaken a highly vulnerable population." Some 10,000 people have been killed since March 2015 in the conflict between Saudi-backed pro-government forces and Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen. According to the United Nations, two in three Yemenis -- more than 17 million people -- do not know where their next meal will come from. Two million people are displaced, and fewer than half of health facilities are still functioning. For the study, researchers looked for evidence of a link between cholera and rainfall in research published between 1970 and 2018. They also examined the history of cholera outbreaks in Yemen from 1971. The data showed an association between higher rainfall and cholera prevalence, they said. - Killer bacteria - Yemen is in the grip of a cholera outbreak that started in 2016 after a five-year lull. Striking in two main waves -- in 2016 and in 2017 -- it has been the largest documented cholera epidemic of modern times, with over 1.1 million people infected and more than 2,300 deaths. This meant the return of the rainy season in 2018 could unleash a devastating third wave, said the researchers. Speculating on the reason for rainfall link, the team said conflict reduces access to safe water drawn from deep underground. When it rains, people will rely on surface waters, possibly contaminated by war-damaged wastewater systems. The data also showed an increase in cholera risk during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, said the researchers. This could be because people gather in large groups to share food, often obtained from street vendors. "These findings suggest that a large-scale campaign for hygiene education and public health information should be implemented during the 2018 Ramadan, possibly involving Imams to deliver these messages," said the team. According to the World Health Organization, cholera infects 1.3 million to four million people every year and kills an estimated 21,000-143,000 -- mainly in poor countries. Cholera, which causes potentially deadly diarrhoea, is contracted by ingesting food or water contaminated with a bacterium carried in human faeces and spread through poor sanitation and dirty drinking water. Left untreated, it can kill within hours. by Mariëtte Le Roux Source: .com
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3:23 PM Jul 11