BAMAKO, 10 November (IRIN) - An
outbreak of cholera has killed 17 people in recent weeks in a swampy area
of the Niger valley near the city of Mopti in central Mali, government
officials said on Monday.
The officials said 153 cases of the
disease, a potentially fatal form of diarrhoeia which causes a rapid loss
of body fluids, had been recorded in two districts near Mopti.
They said 73 cases and nine deaths had been recorded in Djenne district, 60 km southeast of Mopti, while 80 cases and eight deaths had been reported in villages near the town of Tenenkou, 45 km north of the city.
Cholera is generally spread by contaminated drinking water. Officials said the authorities had launched a public awareness campaign about the causes of cholera on local radio stations and had taken measures to improve the supply of disinfectant to the area.
Other public health measures included a ban on the sale of food from makeshift stalls in front of schools and Madrassa Islamic schools and a ban on bathing and washing laundry on the banks of the River Niger in Mopti.
[ENDS]
IRIN-WA
Tel: +225 22-40-4440
Fax: +225 22-41-9339
Email: IRIN-WA@irin.ci
[This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's IRIN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or to change your keywords, contact e-mail: Irin@ocha.unon.org or Web: http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial sites requires written IRIN permission.]
Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2003