Cholera death toll rises to over 420 in Cameroon

A further 26 people have
died in Cameroon’s ongoing cholera outbreak in the past two
weeks, taking the overall death toll to 426, a health ministry
official said on Thursday.
The outbreak was declared in October 2021 and has seen a
strong increase in cases since late March of this year after a
period of low transmission, according to the World Health
Organization.
The number of confirmed cases in Cameroon now stands at
1,868, said ministry official Linda Esso.
Cholera can cause acute diarrhoea, vomiting and weakness and
is mainly spread by contaminated food or water. It can kill
within hours if untreated. Fourteen African countries have
reported cases since the start of 2023, the WHO said in a report
on Thursday.
It said it was particularly concerned as many countries were
reporting higher case fatality ratios than in previous years.
In Cameroon, “more than 79% of cases reach health facilities
in a moderate or severe state,” increasing the chances of the
cases proving fatal, the health ministry said in situation
report, seen by Reuters.