Cholera: World Health Organization warns of rising cases in Africa

The World Health Organization has warned that Africa is seeing an exponential rise in cholera and diarrhoea cases amid a global surge.

This year alone, the continent has recorded cholera cases in Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, and Zambia, while Zimbabwe has recorded two confirmed cases and more than 6000 cases of diarrhoea.

WHO describes cholera as an acute intestinal infection caused by consumption of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Untreated, cholera can kill within hours, and people living in places with poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water are most at risk.

Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for …