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Cameroon and Nigeria Face Cholera Outbreak

   VOA News 13 August 2010

   Government  figures  show  a  cholera outbreak has killed at least 200
   people in Cameroon and 40 people in neighboring Nigeria.
   A  Nigerian  official said Thursday that at least 100 people have been
   infected  in the northern Borno state where the outbreak surfaced last
   week.
   Just  across  the  border  in  northern Cameroon, officials say nearly
   2,300  people  have  now  been  infected  with  the deadly water-borne
   disease since it was first detected in early May.
   Health  officials  have  been  deployed to the area and investigations
   into the outbreaks are underway.
   Cholera  is  common  during  the  rainy  season  and is intensified by
   wastewater disposal issues and limited access to clean drinking water.
   The   disease   causes  vomiting  and  diarrhea  that  can  result  in
   dehydration. If not treated, it can be fatal.
   More  than  260  people  died  of cholera in Nigeria in late 2009, but
   Cameroon has not seen a cholera outbreak this widespread since 2004.

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   Some information for this report was provided by AFP.

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