Cholera kills 25 in Lome, 10 new cases per day

The government of Togo has admitted that it is is still battling to contain an outbreak of cholera that has killed 25 people in the capital Lome since December. The Health Ministry said that 786 cases of cholera had been reported in Togo by 18 February, of which 586 - about three quarters of the total - were in Lome. Health Minister Suzanne Aho said the remaining 200 cases were all within coastal towns within 55 km of the port city of one million people. About 10 new cases were appearing in Lome every day, she told reporters at the end of last week. Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that causes accute diarrhoea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death, unless treated. The disease spreads rapidly in densely populated areas when water becomes contaminated with faeces. However, simple solutions such as boiling water can render it safe for drinking. Health officials blame recurrent outbreaks of cholera in Togo on the lack of clean drinking water, poor hygiene standards and ignorance among the population of how the disease is transmitted. The worst outbreak in recent years was in 1998 when 239 people died from the disease and 3,669 cases were reported. The government has mounted a campaign to clean up rubbish in the city to try to reduce the spread of cholera and other diseases. Health officials recently cited heavy pollution of the lagoon behind the city as a major source of infection.