WHO dispels rumours of cholera

A World Health Organisation (WHO) medical team in Afghanistan has denied reports of a widespread cholera outbreak in the southern province of Paktia. The WHO Representative in Afghanistan, Dr. Rana Graber, told IRIN on Thursday that the gastro-enteritis outbreak was over by the time the team reached the village of Qimati, in the isolated province that borders Pakistan. She said that the infection the team encountered “was not cholera and had responded well to the usual antibiotics. It was most likely a gastro-enteritis infection”. She added that it was rare for cholera to occur during the cold season. The team did record three deaths, two babies and one adult female, but other patients had recovered. The source of the outbreak was thought to be an underground water channel and villagers were advised to use a nearby spring and boil their water. Medical supplies were provided to the local health clinic and water samples taken for further analysis. Badly affected by drought and conflict, Afghanistan continues to have among the poorest health indicators in the world. Despite ongoing efforts to vaccinate Afghan children, WHO field teams surveying a population of 3,000 in Ghazni Province this week recorded a high incidence of infectious disease, including 30 cases of typhoid, 17 cases of measles and 43 cases of acute respiratory infection.