Another 49 people have died within a week of acute watery diarrhoea in Ethiopia, raising the death toll since the disease broke out in April to 182, with almost 20,000 others infected, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Tuesday.
In a weekly bulletin, OCHA said the disease had spread to all five regions of the country, including the capital, Addis Ababa.
"Last week, 1,608 acute watery diarrhoea cases and 49 deaths were reported across the country, bringing the total to 19,176, with 182 deaths,” the bulletin said. “To date, the outbreak is reported in five regions and one city administration in Addis Ababa.”
With the eastern and southern parts of the country already ravaged by floods that have claimed at least 647 lives and displaced thousands since August, the Ethiopian Red Cross feared on Tuesday that this situation could exacerbate the epidemic and lead to a full-scale cholera epidemic.
"The flooding is an aggravating factor in the further spread of acute watery diarrhoea [AWD] and malaria, which is endemic. AWD often leads to outbreaks of cholera if not treated immediately,” the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Ethiopian Red Cross said in an appeal to donors for help to contain the situation.
Displacement, coupled with poor or limited access to clean water, as well as a lack of awareness of hygiene-related issues can considerably increase the risks of transmission of the disease, the Red Cross said.
Across Ethiopia, the number of people affected by the floods has reached 357,000, including 136,528 forced to abandon their homes, according to the UN.
eo/mw
In a weekly bulletin, OCHA said the disease had spread to all five regions of the country, including the capital, Addis Ababa.
"Last week, 1,608 acute watery diarrhoea cases and 49 deaths were reported across the country, bringing the total to 19,176, with 182 deaths,” the bulletin said. “To date, the outbreak is reported in five regions and one city administration in Addis Ababa.”
With the eastern and southern parts of the country already ravaged by floods that have claimed at least 647 lives and displaced thousands since August, the Ethiopian Red Cross feared on Tuesday that this situation could exacerbate the epidemic and lead to a full-scale cholera epidemic.
"The flooding is an aggravating factor in the further spread of acute watery diarrhoea [AWD] and malaria, which is endemic. AWD often leads to outbreaks of cholera if not treated immediately,” the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Ethiopian Red Cross said in an appeal to donors for help to contain the situation.
Displacement, coupled with poor or limited access to clean water, as well as a lack of awareness of hygiene-related issues can considerably increase the risks of transmission of the disease, the Red Cross said.
Across Ethiopia, the number of people affected by the floods has reached 357,000, including 136,528 forced to abandon their homes, according to the UN.
eo/mw
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
Share this article
