Cholera hits Lome, kills 17

Seventeen people have died from an outbreak of cholera in the Togolese capital Lome since December and new cases of the potentially fatal disease have recently been detected in a nearby coastal town, the government said. Health Minister Suzanne Aho told a press conference on Friday that 413 cases of cholera had been recorded in the capital, resulting in 17 deaths. Aho said several cholera cases had also been recorded in the coastal town of Noepe, but she gave no details. The minister said most of the cases in Lome had been recorded among households near the shore of the city's lagoon, which is heavily polluted with sewage and industrial effluent. Cholera is a highly contagious water-borne disease that is contracted by drinking polluted water, or handling soiled food. It causes rapid loss of body fluids through vomitting and accute diarrhoea and if not treated swiftly can lead to death. Aho urged residents in Lome to drink clean water, wash properly all food and fruit before eating and wash all kitchen utensils carefully to minimize the risk of spreading. Two years ago, a cholera epidemic swept through the northern town of Dapaong on the border with Burkina Faso. About 700 people were reported to have caught the disease and about 10 died.