Cholera on the rise in Mogadishu

The number of suspected cholera cases has increased in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, since the beginning of April, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) medical officer. Speaking by telephone from Mogadishu, Muhammad Fuje said between 3 April and 9 April, 489 diarrhoeal cases had been diagnosed in three of the city's hospitals, of whom nine patients had died. Tests had been done this week on 20 stool samples from patients in the three hospitals, which confirmed that 12 patients had vibrio cholera, he said. "In a situation like this, it is up to the Ministry of Health to declare whether there is a cholera outbreak." Since mid-December, 2,042 cases of suspected cholera had been reported to WHO, including 23 deaths, Fuje told IRIN. Between 27 March and 2 April, 173 suspected cases were recorded, up from between 40 and 50 in the previous two weeks. "It is very alarming, because the number of diarrhoeal cases is on the rise in the sentinel sites," he said. Fuje added that now was "the cholera season" in Somalia, resulting from the hot weather coupled with increased rains and water consumption. "The most important thing now is to stabilise it and increase public awareness about hygiene," he said, as well as supporting cholera treatment centres. Since 1994, outbreaks of cholera cases have been recorded annually in Mogadishu and many other parts of Somalia. The illness was endemic to Mogadishu, Fuje told IRIN, due to the absence of basic sanitation and a centralised water supply system. "Every house has its own well, often near toilets, so contamination is common," he said. Cholera is caused by a bacterium commonly found in food or water which infects people's intestines, causing diarrhoea, vomiting, leg cramps and dehydration. If an infected person is given medication and fluids immediately after the first symptoms show up, the disease can be completely cured, but otherwise death can occur within hours. Somalia has been without a central government since 1991, resulting in much of its infrastructure becoming dilapidated.