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Cholera Claims 51 Lives in Cameroon

by VR Sreeraman on Oct 16 2009 1:13 PM

A cholera outbreak in northern Cameroon last month killed 51 people, a public health ministry source and national radio said.

"The latest report in our possession shows 23 deaths in the far north region where 144 cases of cholera were registered in the hospital," a ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

According to national public radio, Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV), the illness also killed 28 people in the neighbouring northern region where 152 cases were recorded. The radio station quoted another ministry official.

In 2004, at least 100 people died in an outbreak in southern Douala, the country's economic capital.

Cholera is a water-borne disease that can also be transmitted by food that has been in contact with sewage.

It causes serious diarrhoea and vomiting leading to dehydration. With a short incubation period, it can be fatal if not treated in time.

Source-AFP
SRM


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