Over 6,800 dead as cholera sweeps across 23 African nations
More than 6,800 people have died from cholera outbreaks across Africa this year, a sharp rise compared to last year, according to data released Thursday by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The agency reported 6,854 deaths and 297,394 cases across 23 African countries, with a case fatality ratio of 2.3%, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Speaking during a virtual press conference from Namibia, Yap Boum II, deputy incident manager at the Africa CDC, said there has been an increase of nearly 50,000 cases compared with the same period last year. He warned that torrential rains could cause cases to surge further if preventive measures are not swiftly implemented.
Angola and Burundi are among the hardest-hit countries, struggling with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water. “There is an escalation of cholera in Burundi, while Angola is experiencing an exponential second wave,” Boum said.
While recent weeks have seen declines in South Sudan, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa CDC noted that these nations still bear some of the continent’s highest cholera burdens.
Cholera is a bacterial infection transmitted through contaminated food or water, often spreading rapidly in areas lacking adequate sanitation and clean water access.
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