Cholera outbreak in north following heavy rain

A cholera outbreak near the town of Parakou in central Benin has affected at least 49 people since the end of September, officials at Parakou hospital said on Thursday. The officials said no-one had so far died from the outbreak. Health Minister Celine Seignon has blamed it on two months of heavy rain which caused extensive flooding. Cholera is a form of acute diarrhoea that causes rapid dehydration of the body and can lead to death unless it is treated quickly. The water-borne disease is frequently associated with the contamination of drinking water, especially during the rainy season. The officials in Parakou, 415 km north of the capital Cotonou, said the first case of cholera was recorded on 26 September. By 10 November a total of 49 cases of the disease had been reported in Borgou district of which Parakou is the capital, they added. Abdoulaye Soulaye, the director of government health services in Parakou, said a special cholera treatment centre had been set up to treat victims of the disease free of charge.