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Published Date: 2010-09-08 19:09:31
Subject: PRO/EAFR> Cholera, diarrhea and dysentery update 2010 (43): Africa
Archive Number: 20100908.212947

CHOLERA, DIARRHEA AND DYSENTERY UPDATE 2010 (43): AFRICA
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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In this update:
[1] Cholera - Nigeria (Gombe)
[2] Cholera - Nigeria (Abuja)
[3] Cholera - Nigeria (Jigawa)
[4] Cholera - Cameroon

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[1] Cholera - Nigeria (Gombe)
Date: Sun 5 Sep 2010
Source: Xinhua News Agency [edited]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-09/05/c_13479373.htm

Nigeria's northern Gombe Sate has confirmed 41 people died from a
recent cholera outbreak.

State Commissioner of Health Mohammad Umar disclosed this in Gombe on
Saturday [4 Sep 2010], saying the death toll had risen from the
initial 16 to 41. He told reporters that cases of the disease had
also increased from the initial 233 to 735, with the Gombe Local
Government Area recording the highest number of 124 cases.

He listed 6 other local government areas affected as Yamaltu Deba,
Kaltungo, Billiri, Shongom, Balanga, and Akko.

Umar said although the state was expecting some assistance from the
federal government, efforts had been intensified by both the state
and local government councils to control the situation.

He said his ministry's Rapid Response Team had been placed on high
alert adding that adequate drugs had been procured and sent to all
hospitals and primary health centers across the state.

The commissioner added that aggressive public awareness campaign had
been mounted on how to handle food items and water to avoid contamination.

Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health recently put the cholera death
toll at 352, out of the 6497 cases.

The north of Nigeria suffers epidemics of diseases such as cholera,
measles, and meningitis almost every year.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that causes severe vomiting
and diarrhoea, leading to serious dehydration and can be fatal if not
properly treated.

[Byline: Lu Hui]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR

[The cholera outbreaks continue to be reported in new areas in
northern Nigeria. This report indicates fresh deaths in Gombe state,
an indication that a lot more needs to be done to improve access to
treatment in addition to active case search and community education.

Maps of Nigeria are available at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_of_Nigeria and the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at
http://healthmap.org/r/01Q4. - Mod.JFW]

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[2] Cholera - Nigeria (Abuja)
Date: Tue 7 Sep 2010
Source: PUNCH [edited]
http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009071542014

The fast-spreading cholera disease has claimed 2 lives in the Federal
Capital Territory [FCT], Abuja, out of the reported 137 cases
reported in health centres across the 6 area councils.

The Special Assistant on Communications to the Minister of Health, Ms
Rakiya Zubairu, confirmed this in a telephone interview with one of
our correspondents, on Monday [6 Sep 2010].

The 2 deaths were recorded at Gwagwalada area council, which is a
densely populated area of the FCT.

The minister's aide said that the ministry was not relenting on its
awareness campaign and education of the public to embrace basic
personal hygiene.

She said, "We have not relented in the awareness campaign and from
our findings more and more people are now more informed about causes
of the disease.

"We are going to the grass roots by involving the people at the local
government to speak in the language their people understand.

"With time, we believe that more and more people will learn to imbibe
basic hygiene of washing their hands with soap and water after using
the toilet."

Zubairu said that the ministry was also collaborating with the
government of states where cholera had been reported on the provision
of safe water and clean environment.

The cholera outbreak that ravaged the North Eastern part of the
country since June [2010] had claimed more than 600 lives in Bauchi,
Bornu, Zamfara, Gombe, Osun, Jigawa, Yobe, and 5 other states.

Meanwhile, the Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Medical
Research, Prof Innocent Ujah, on Monday [6 Sep 2010] in Lagos advised
Nigerians to be cautious of their personal hygiene. Speaking at a
news briefing on the spread of cholera to hitherto unaffected areas,
Ujah said that proper hygiene would reduce the spread of the disease.

He said that findings by the NIMR [Nigerian Institute of Medical
Research] Emergency Respond Team that visited Bornu and Bauchi States
showed that the latter was worst hit.

He said that 17 out of 20 local governments in Bauchi State were
affected, while many local governments in Bornu State recorded a
significant spread of the disease.

He said that as of Friday [3 Sep 2010] when the team left Bauchi,
about 3291 persons were infected, while 104 had died of the infection.

According to him, children die faster due to the loss of water and
electrolytes (salt).

In a presentation with the theme, "Cholera as pathology of poverty,"
Ujah said that the poor, who could not afford basic health, were the
worst affected. He said that with the alarming rate of the spread of
the disease, the public needed to be educated on the health
implications of living in an unhealthy environment.

Also, authorities of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital
Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Monday [6 Sep 2010], said the
cholera outbreak that affected Sabo area of Ife had been brought under control.

[Byline: Tunde Odesola, Akin Oyedele]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR

[In addition to the previously affected states in North Eastern and
North Western Nigeria, cholera cases have now been reported in Abuja.
Being a Federal capital [Abuja FCT], the outbreak has potential of
spreading explosively and therefore community awareness campaigns
need to be intensified alongside other outbreak response
interventions to prevent further cases and deaths. - Mod.JFW]

******
[3] Cholera - Nigeria (Jigawa)
Date: Mon 6 Sep 2010
Source: AllAfrica, Leadership (Nigeria) report [edited]
http://allafrica.com/stories/201009060297.html

No fewer than 5 people were confirmed dead, while over 100 others
were hospitalized, following the cholera outbreak in Buji and Gwaram
local government areas of Jigawa State.

Confirming the incident to 'Leadership', the Commissioner for Health,
Dr Ibrahim Nashabaru said, all the deaths were reported from Gantsa
Town, which is the headquarters of Buji Local Government Area.

He noted that since they received the report of the outbreak, the
state and local government have combined efforts to curb the
situation by providing free medical assistance to the affected
victims along with massive sensitization campaigns at various places
of worship on preventive measures to be taken by a victim.

"Presently, the situation is under control as we have no single case
at the hospital as I am speaking to you now, therefore there is no
cause for alarm. According to the report we have compiled on the
outbreak, it showed that the disease was imported from Bauchi State,"
Nashabaru said.

Meanwhile, reports from the area revealed that several deaths had
occurred. Mostly affected are residents of Buji where the estimated
death has exceeded 5. Similar cases of cholera outbreak had also been
reported at Hadejia and Birnin-Kudu Local Government Area of the
state where an undisclosed number of deaths had been recorded.

[Byline: Muh'd Zangina Kura]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR

******
[4] Cholera - Cameroon
Date: Mon 6 Sep 2010
Source: UN ReliefWeb, UNICEF report [edited]
http://reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/FERB-892JJZ?OpenDocument

Over 1.6 million school children at risk of contracting cholera in
northern Cameroon will benefit from a vital communications campaign
launching today [6 Sep 2010]. The campaign, 'My School Without
Cholera', is an unprecedented communications response to Cameroon's
worst cholera outbreak in 20 years. It will be launched on the 1st
day of the new school year in 3639 schools -- every primary school --
in Cameroon's 3 northern regions.

"A major reason for the scale of this outbreak is the lack of
knowledge among communities at risk in terms of hygiene and
sanitation. This unprecedented communications campaign is fundamental
in addressing the severe outbreak that is affecting children, young
people, and communities in the northern regions of Cameroon," said
Ora Musu Clemens-Hope, UNICEF Representative in Cameroon.

UNICEF is well aware that the lack of awareness is only part of the
problem. "The communities at risk face a lack of drinking water,
latrines, and have very limited access to health care. UNICEF is
calling its partners in the government to address the underlying
problems in the communities where most of the cholera related deaths
are occurring" added Ms Clemens-Hope.

The campaign will reach children and their communities through a
series of TV and radio advertisements, SMS alerts, the distribution
of posters, leaflets, stickers, and school exercise books featuring
cholera prevention messages, in addition to training social
mobilisers, teachers, parents, pupils, and religious leaders to
promote hygiene to their peers and the wider community.

UNICEF is supporting the launch of this ground-breaking
communications campaign, in partnership with the Government of
Cameroon and with the support of local private stakeholders such as
MTN, Camtel, Orange, and [Cameroon Chemical Complex] (CCC).

Cameroon's cholera outbreak started in May 2010 in the Extreme North
region and has spread to the neighboring North region putting at risk
over 5 million people. It has caused 4541 confirmed cases of cholera
resulting into 331 deaths according to official figures (30 Aug
2010). The return to school increases the risk of cholera further
spreading in a region characterized by low access to clean water,
latrines, and extremely high rates of open defecation.

"UNICEF has been working with the Cameroonian Government, WHO, UNFPA
[UN Population Fund], WFP [UN World Food Programme], UNHCR [UN High
Commissioner for Refugees], and the Red Cross since the outbreak
began. It has provided family water and hygiene kits for the
conservation and treatment or water, medicines, and oral rehydration
salts for the treatment of cholera," concluded Ms Clemens-Hope. "We
are doing all we can to help prevent further deaths."

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR

[With up to 4541 cholera cases and 331 deaths reported in Cameroon
since May 2010, the Government, with support from partner
organizations, has launched an all inclusive community campaign to
contain the current outbreak. This approach seeks to address the
underlying problems at community level.

An interactive map showing the regions of Cameroon can be accessed at
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/cameroon_pol98.jpg. The
HealthMap/ProMED mail interactive map of Cameroon can be accessed at
http://healthmap.org/r/05Xt. - Mod.JFW]

See Also