Chad: Cholera Outbreak Kills 50
Over 50 people have died from cholera in Chad, leading authorities to declare an outbreak.
According to Health Ministry Secretary-General, Hamid Djabar, there have been 312 cases and 52 deaths since mid-August. Djabar added that the outbreak is currently “confined to the region of Sila”, near the country’s borders with Sudan and the Central African Republic
Authorities have set up a crisis committee to monitor the outbreak. Humanitarian organisations, Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF, have partnered with the Chadian government to provide assistance to those affected by the disease.
Cholera, which can kill within a few hours if not treated, regularly affects eastern Chad, as well as the Lake Chad Basin. These areas are least developed, and more than half the population lives in poverty.
The cholera virus has become an epidemic for those parts of Africa with crowded living conditions, poor sanitation, and immense poverty.
A similar outbreak is occurring in Nigeria, where at least 44 people have died. Cholera has spread throughout the camps for refugees displaced by Boko Haram’s violence. The United Nations says that around $10 million is needed to stop the spread of the disease in Nigeria.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there is also an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has already killed 528. Currently, 20 out of 26 provinces are affected by the disease.
The WHO said in July that cholera kills 21 000 to 143 000 people globally each year.
