Cholera outbreak reported in Abidjan

A cholera outbreak has been reported in Cote d'Ivoire's main city, Abidjan, with 40 cases confirmed, including four deaths, since the beginning of July.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that causes severe dehydration from diarrhoea and vomiting and is highly contagious. It is most commonly contracted from infected food or water; poor sanitation contributes to the spread of the disease. Epidemics typically occur in Cote d’Ivoire during the rainy season, from July to September.

The first case of the season occurred in early July when a fisherman returned from sea, vomiting and suffering from a severe case of diarrhoea.

He did not receive medical attention and died. Tests later confirmed that he had cholera.

Since then, 26 more people were reported infected in the impoverished neighbourhood of Port-Bouet in the south of the city, where another person died. Within less than two months, the disease has spread to three other neighbourhoods, with 14 new cases being reported, including two more deaths in August.

“The situation in Port-Bouet was under control and no other cases had been reported 20 days after the first case.

But then new cases were discovered in a nearby neighbourhood,” Dr. Jean-Baptiste Brindou, health director for the district of south Abidjan, told the daily newspaper Soir-Info.

“We provided warnings to the residents of Port-Bouet, but we can’t quarantine people. Their movements within the city could definitely have had an impact on the spread of the epidemic. Since this is a disease that comes from ‘dirty hands’ everything could have started from there,” he said.

In response, the government has created local health committees in affected areas to help control the spread of the disease.

Public service announcements have also aired repeatedly on state-run media, calling on people to observe standard rules of hygiene. The messages remind people to only drink water from reliable sources and avoid water sold in little plastic bags, to disinfect raw fruits and vegetables, to properly cook food, and be vigilant about washing hands after using the washroom and before eating.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that statistics provided by Medecins Sans Frontieres/Holland showed that there were 321 cases of cholera in the western part of the country at the beginning of the year, including two deaths.

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