In January this year alone, 26,000 cholera cases and 700 deaths have been reported in 10 countries in Africa, the risk of the disease spreading to other states is very high, Fiona Braca, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa office, said at a briefing in Geneva.
“In the first four weeks of this year, 10 countries in the WHO African Region reported more than 26,000 cases and 700 deaths, almost double the number of cases reported in the same period in 2023,” she said.
Braca added that outbreaks are currently occurring in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Nigeria.
“There is a high risk of further spread to other countries, especially during this peak transmission season,” the WHO spokesperson emphasized.
Cholera is an extremely contagious disease transmitted through ingestion of contaminated food or water. Cholera can cause severe acute watery diarrhea, and a severe form of the disease can be fatal in a few hours if left untreated.
