Lake Chad, photo by CAJ News Africa, Chad Bureau
from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – AN outbreak of cholera has claimed the lives of at least 39 people in the Lake Chad Basin since the beginning of 2019.
More than 1 100 cases have been recorded, representing a fatality rate of more than 2 percent.
Cholera is plaguing Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria, coinciding with the terrorism by the Islamist Boko Haram sect.
Nigeria accounts for a majority of the cases, with more than 86 percent of cases reported in the country.
Regions in the north of Nigeria, worst hit by the Boko Haram sect and conflict between farmers and livestock herders, are the most affected by cholera.
A spokesperson of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said environmental conditions related to the rainy season and cross-border exchanges between populations facilitated the spread of the disease.
Cholera, a water borne disease, is manageable but extreme cases can result in death.
It thrives under unhygienic conditions such as the situation in the camps housing thousands displaced by the Boko Haram.
These are overcrowded and lack access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities.
– CAJ News