N’Djamena, July 25 (IANS) At least four people have died following a cholera outbreak in a refugee camp in eastern Chad, the country’s Health Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

A total of 42 suspected cases have been recorded in the Dougui refugee camp in the Ouara department of Ouaddai province, the statement said, adding that samples have been collected and sent to the capital, N’Djamena, for confirmatory testing.

Authorities have called for vigilance and strict adherence to hygiene measures to slow the spread of the disease.

Dougui refugee camp hosts approximately 20,000 Sudanese refugees, Xinhua news agency reported.

In June, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that cholera cases in Sudan are set to rise and could spread to neighbouring countries, including Chad, which hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees from Sudan’s civil war, in crowded conditions.

According to the WHO, 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 inequality and a 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.

Countries need strong epidemiological and laboratory surveillance to swiftly detect and monitor outbreaks and guide responses.

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 to the WHO from 45 countries. The discrepancy between these figures and the numbers estimated by researchers is likely due to limited surveillance systems and cases not being recorded out of fear of repercussions for trade and tourism.

–IANS

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