Cholera - The African Mirror

Nov

2023

Zimbabwe restricts gatherings, food vending as cholera cases spike

ZIMBABWE'S government has started restricting public gatherings and food vending while monitoring burials in all areas affected by cholera after cases of the disease spiked this week. New cholera cases in the southern African country trebled from 437 to 1,259 this week, the biggest jump since the latest outbreak of the water-borne disease started in February. This has triggered panic in Zimbabwe, where more than 4,000 people died from cholera in 2008. To date, the country has recorded 155 deaths linked to cholera from 8,787 cases, according to the health ministry. The authorities declared a state of emergency in the…

Sep

2023

By The African Mirror

Sudan medics warn that cholera and dengue fever are spreading

NEWS

MEDICS in Sudan have warned that cases of cholera and dengue fever are spreading due to the arrival of seasonal rains and the impact of more than five months of war on a health system that was already struggling before fighting began. Health authorities have confirmed cases of cholera for the first time since the war between rival military factions began in mid-April, saying that the earliest case had been detected in al-Qadarif state in late August. The federal health ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday that 18 people had died and 265 infected with cholera in al-Qadarif…

Jun

2023

By The African Mirror

Your snacks may be delicious, but are they safe?

HEALTH

FOOD safety is a concern for Nigerians after increasing reports of food-borne illnesses in recent years. According to the Consumer Advocacy for Food Safety and Nutrition Initiative (CAFSANI), consumption of unsafe food in Nigeria results in about 173 million cases of diarrhoea and approximately 33,000 deaths due to foodborne illnesses. Author HELEN ONYEAKA, Associate Professor, University of Birmingham The country has over the years experienced repeated outbreaks of diseases that can be transmitted through contaminated food, including cholera and Lassa fever. Food safety is a global issue affecting everyone, regardless of location or social status. According to the World Health…

Jun

2023

By AMINDEH BLAISE ATABONG

Cholera death toll rises to over 420 in Cameroon

NEWS

A further 26 people have died in Cameroon's ongoing cholera outbreak in the past two weeks, taking the overall death toll to 426, a health ministry official said. The outbreak was declared in October 2021 and has seen a strong increase in cases since late March of this year after a period of low transmission, according to the World Health Organization. The number of confirmed cases in Cameroon now stands at 1,868, said ministry official Linda Esso. Cholera can cause acute diarrhoea, vomiting and weakness and is mainly spread by contaminated food or water. It can kill within hours if…

May

2023

By The African Mirror

Cholera in South Africa: a symptom of two decades of continued sewage pollution and neglect

HEALTH

SOUTH Africans have expressed outrage at the deaths of at least 15 residents of Hammanskraal, in the city of Tshwane. The deaths were caused by cholera – a diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria. The disease can be fatal if left untreated. The bacteria produce a toxin in the small intestine. This causes the secretion of enormous amounts of water, leading to diarrhoea and a rapid loss of fluids and salts (electrolytes). Author ANJA DU PLESSIS, Associate Professor and Research Specialist in Water Resource Management, University of South Africa The bacteria are shed in the stools of people who…

May

2023

By The African Mirror

African scientists are working to pool data that decodes diseases – a giant step

HEALTH

INFECTIOUS disease outbreaks in African countries are, unfortunately, all too common. Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Uganda; Marburg virus in Guinea or Equatorial Guinea; cholera in Malawi; malaria and tuberculosis are among them. These diseases do not respect human-made or porous borders. So it’s essential that scientists in Africa are able to generate and share critical data on the pathogens in time to inform public-health decisions. Authors ALAN CHRISTOFFELS, Director South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape SOFONIAS KIFLE TESSEMA, Program Lead for Pathogen Genomics at the Africa CDC Genomic sequencing technologies are…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Malawi cholera death toll crosses 1,300: health official

HEALTH

THE death toll from a cholera outbreak in Malawi has crossed 1,300, a senior Malawian health official said, as the southern African country battles its deadliest outbreak yet. As of Wednesday, Malawi had recorded 40,284 cholera cases and 1,316 deaths in an outbreak that started in March 2022, with the country averaging over 500 new cases every day, Charles Mwansambo told a briefing organised by the World Health Organisation's Africa office. Cholera outbreaks happen regularly in Malawi, usually in the rainy season from November to March, but they only average an annual death toll of about 100. The WHO said…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Cholera is still a danger in Nigeria: here’s what the government can do

HEALTH

THOUSANDS of cases of cholera have been reported in Nigeria between January and June 2021. The northern states of Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Plateau and Zamfara are among those affected. OLAYINKA STEPHEN ILESANMI, Lecturer, Department of Community Medicine, University of Ibadan Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria. It is passed on from faeces through contaminated food, drinks and unhygienic environments, and causes severe dehydration. Infected people can die if their illness is not quickly managed with oral rehydration. In the past, cholera infections were common in many countries around the globe. Now they are mostly confined…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

Can COVID-19 inspire a new way of planning African cities?

AFRICITIES

PATRICK BRANDFUL COBBINAH, Lecturer, University of Melbourne ELLIS ADJEI ADAMS, Assistant professor, University of Notre Dame MICHAEL ODEI ERDIAW-KWASIE, Research fellow, University of Southern Queensland HEALTH crises are not new in Africa. The continent has grappled with infectious diseases on all levels, from local (such as malaria) to regional (Ebola) to global (COVID-19). The region has often carried a disproportionately high burden of global infectious outbreaks. How cities are planned is critical for managing infectious diseases. Historically, many urban planning innovations emerged in response to health crises. The global cholera epidemic in the 1800s led to improved urban sanitation systems.…