ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua/GNA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on the Ethiopian government and its partners, to maintain collaborative efforts to manage the ongoing prolonged cholera outbreak in the country.
The WHO, in its periodic bulletin on outbreaks and other emergencies in the African continent issued late Sunday, said the East African country is experiencing one of its most prolonged cholera outbreaks in history, with the initial case reported in August 2022.
The outbreak, which started in one region last August, and was subsequently confirmed by laboratory tests on Sept. 9, later spread to other areas in March 2023, the WHO said, adding that the outbreak has been a growing concern since its peak was observed in late July 2023.According to figures from the WHO, from August to the end of December last year, a cumulative total of 1,073 cholera cases and 30 deaths were reported with a case fatality rate of 2.8 percent, whereas a cumulative total of 23,652 cholera cases and 299 deaths were reported in 2023 as of Sept. 21, with a case fatality rate of 1.3 percent.
From August 2022 to Sept. 21, 2023, a total of 250 districts from 10 regions across the East African country were affected by the ongoing cholera outbreak.
Currently, some 116 districts are reporting cholera cases throughout the country, according to the WHO.
It remains crucial for the government and key partners to maintain collaborative efforts to manage this outbreak, the WHO noted, adding that in addition to the ongoing cholera outbreak, Ethiopia is currently grappling with a concurrent outbreak of multiple diseases, such as dengue fever, measles, and malaria, which have strained the healthcare system alongside cholera.
The WHO said in a situation update released on Oct. 6 that over 6 million people had been vaccinated with one dose of oral cholera vaccine across 54 districts in the country. It noted the urgent need for durable solutions to address the root causes of recurrent cholera outbreaks, which include poor-quality drinking water and open defecation.
It said fecal contamination of drinking water is the main source of cholera, with most cholera patients using unsafe drinking water.
GNA