Luanda, March 21 (IANS) The death toll from Angola’s cholera outbreak has risen to 313, with a total of 8,141 cases reported, according to the country’s Ministry of Health.
On Thursday alone, Angola recorded 15 new deaths, the second-highest single-day toll since the outbreak began in early January, following the 17 deaths reported on March 15.
The outbreak has persisted for over 70 days, with daily case numbers consistently in the triple digits since March. In addition to the national capital of Luanda and previously hard-hit neighbouring provinces such as Bengo and Icolo e Bengo, cases have surged in Cuanza Norte and Benguela provinces.
Speaking at a press conference in Luanda on Thursday, Health Minister Silvia Lutucuta stated that 925,026 people have been vaccinated, covering 86 per cent of the targeted population, Xinhua news agency reported.
She added that the government has established 77 cholera treatment centres in the hardest-hit regions and set up 64 oral rehydration centres to manage the crisis.
According to the World Health Organisation, cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is a global public health threat and indicates inequity and lack of social and economic development. Access to safe water, basic sanitation and hygiene is essential to prevent cholera and other waterborne diseases.
Most people with cholera have mild or moderate diarrhoea and can be treated with oral rehydration solution (ORS). However, the disease can progress rapidly, so starting treatment quickly is vital to save lives. Patients with severe disease need intravenous fluids, ORS and antibiotics.
Most people infected with V. cholerae do not develop symptoms but can spread the bacteria through their faeces for 1–10 days. Symptoms appear 12 hours to 5 days after infection.
Most people with the disease have mild or moderate symptoms. A minority of patients develop severe acute watery diarrhoea and life-threatening dehydration.
Cholera outbreaks occur regularly in some countries. In others, they are less frequent, and it may be years between outbreaks. Cholera is linked to limited access to safe water, basic sanitation facilities and poor hygiene practices. This may be due to conflict, population displacement, climate events like cyclones, floods or drought, and lack of investment in maintaining and improving WASH services and infrastructure.
The number of cholera cases reported to the WHO has continued to rise in recent years. In 2023, 535 321 cases and 4007 deaths were reported from 45 countries.
–IANS
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