Published Date: 2011-09-02 14:30:17
Subject: PRO/EAFR> Cholera - Lake Chad basin: Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria
Archive Number: 20110902.228566
CHOLERA - LAKE CHAD BASIN: CHAD, CAMEROON, NIGER, NIGERIA
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A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Tue 30 Aug 2011
Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) News [edited]
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=93617
Cholera soars in Lake Chad basin countries
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Cholera has killed at least 1200 people this year [2011] in the
countries surrounding Lake Chad -- Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and
Nigeria; the illness, linked primarily to poor sanitation and lack of
potable water, has struck some 38 800 people in the region this year
and continues to spread.
A good part of the rainy season lies ahead; while some epicentres
reported cholera cases during the dry period, the rains generally
cause spikes as water sources become contaminated.
The unique Lake Chad Basin is the centre of economic activity --
commerce, fishing, farming -- for some 11 million people, according
to an August [2011] report by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Population movements for social and commercial activity are constant
between areas where sanitation is poor. All this contributes to the
explosion of cholera once infection starts, according to aid agencies
doing prevention work in the region.
That is why a regional strategy is critical, UNICEF says. "A
cross-border, decentralized approach is necessary to protect each
country's population and nip outbreaks in the bud," says Francois
Bellet, UNICEF regional water and sanitation specialist for west and
central Africa.
Development blow
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Countless families depend on commerce, fishing, and other activities
in the region; at the same time cholera seriously undermines economic
development, says the Chad government in an anti-cholera plan.
"Cholera hits families' revenue and brings recurrent health expenses
-- all of this deepens poverty and under-development."
In October 2010, health ministers of the 4 countries plus Benin
signed the Abuja Commitment, calling for better collaboration to
tackle cholera and other infectious diseases. The health ministers
acknowledge that people have inadequate access to clean water and
proper sanitation and that cross-border coordination mechanisms are
lacking, with no formal way for health districts to share disease
surveillance data.
Last year [2010], the Lake Chad Basin region reported 58 000 cases of
cholera, with 2300 deaths, according to UNICEF -- the most serious
outbreak since 1991. Here is a tally of how many people have been
affected this year [2011]:
- Cameroon: As of 22 Aug [2011], 14 730 cases; 554 deaths. Lethality
rate 3.76 percent.
- Chad: As of 22 Aug [2011], 10 314 cases; 314 deaths. Lethality rate
3.1 percent.
- Niger: As of 8 Aug [2011], 976 cases; 25 deaths. Lethality rate 2.5 percent.
- Nigeria: As of 1 Aug [2011], 12 840 cases; 318 deaths. Lethality
rate 2.5 percent.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR
<promed-eafr@promedmail.org>
[The Lake Chad basin is currently experiencing an outbreak of cholera
that has spread to the 4 countries in the region. The outbreak
highlights the need to improve in-country capacities for epidemic
preparedness and response as well as regional mechanisms for
preventing cross-border spread to improve public health security in
the region. These issues are highlighted in the Abuja commitment and
need to be followed up with real interventions to improve the
livelihoods of the people living in the Lake Chad basin.
A map of the Lake Chad basin can be seen at
http://na.unep.net/atlas/africa/downloads/maps/chadbasin.jpg. A
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map showing the countries in the
region can be seen athttp://healthmap.org/r/1cP0. - Mod.JFW]
See Also
Cholera - Nigeria (18): (Yobe, Sokoto) 20110902.228563Cholera - Nigeria (17): (Yobe, Sokoto) 20110830.228405
Cholera - Nigeria (16): (Osun) 20110829.228288
Cholera - Nigeria (15):(Oyo) 20110829.228269
Cholera - Burundi (02) 20110823.227666
Cholera - Nigeria (14): (Oyo) 20110822.227623
Cholera - Somalia (06): (Mogadishu) 20110819.227465
Cholera - Nigeria (13): (Oyo) 20110819.227463
Cholera - Ghana (15): (Western) 20110818.227381
Cholera - Cameroon (07): Far North 20110817.227283
Cholera - Ghana (14): (Brong Ahafo) 20110815.227146
Cholera - Somalia (05) 20110814.227065
Cholera - Congo DR (08) 20110812.227007
Cholera - Mali (03) 20110808.226795
Cholera - Congo DR (07) 20110801.226449
Cholera - Somalia (04) 20110806.226736
Cholera - Mali (02): (Mopti, Timbuktu) 20110806.226735
Cholera - Nigeria (12): (Kwara) 20110802.226561
Cholera - Africa: 2010 update, WHO 20110801.226491
Cholera - Nigeria (11) 20110801.226494
Cholera - Chad 20110801.226489
Cholera - Congo Republic: WHO 20110724.226042
Cholera - Ethiopia: susp. 20110717.225753
Cholera - Cameroon (06) 20110710.225350
Cholera - Nigeria (10): (Plateau) 20110630.224868
Cholera - Nigeria (09): (Niger), confirmed 20110625.224562
Cholera - Cote d'Ivoire (04): (Abidjan) 20110621.224295
Cholera - Niger: (Tillaberi) 20110620.224197
Cholera - Cote d'Ivoire (03): (Abidjan) 20110612.223483
Cholera - Nigeria (08): (Adamawa) susp, RFI 20110610.223396
Cholera - Zimbabwe (07): (Manicaland) 20110609.223393
Cholera - Uganda: (Hoima) susp, RFI 20110607.223117
Cholera - Nigeria (07): (Abia) susp. 20110602.222848
Cholera - Nigeria (06): (Abia) susp. 20110601.222697
Cholera - Mozambique: (Maputo) 20110503.221703
Cholera - Zimbabwe (06): (Manicaland) 20110502.221658
Cholera - Nigeria (05): (Taraba) susp. 20110408.220718
Cholera - Burundi: (Bururi) 20110322.220094
Cholera - Nigeria (03): (Kogi) 20110211.218069
Cholera - Nigeria (02): (Kano) 20110207.217844
Cholera - Zambia (02): (Southern) 20110203.217836
Cholera - Cote d'Ivoire: (Abidjan) 20110203.217834
Cholera - Nigeria: (Niger state) 20110116.217207
Cholera - Tanzania 2011 (01): Dar es Salaam 20110108.216933
Cholera - Zambia 2011 (01) 20110108.216930
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