Cholera has claimed 21 lives among 206 infected people in Niger following seasonal rains that have flooded communities and left them unable to cope with a health crisis, writes IRINnews, Tuesday.
The United Nations has sent emergency aid to Niger following the flooding, which has affected 43,000 people. The government says 10,000 people have lost their homes.
The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, has sent medicine, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has dispatched a team to evaluate the situation, and the World Food Programme (WFP) is also providing assistance. Urgent needs include food, treated mosquito nets and blankets.
A joint task force of the UN, Red Cross and NGOs has been put in place to monitor the cholera epidemic. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is overseeing an isolation unit 12 km south of the town Zinder, which is in the far southeast of the country.
“The situation is under control,” said Moussa Fatimata, secretary general of the Public Health Ministry.
Kilde: www.irinnews.org
