Dakar: End of rainy season won't bring an end to cholera

DAKAR, 31 October 2008 (IRIN) - In the hardest-hit country, Guinea-Bissau, the World Health Organization (WHO) says the situation is still “out of control” with 834 new cases and 15 deaths in the third week of October. This represents a 40-percent drop in new cases in the last few weeks, but the fatality rate remains high.

“I believe we can expect [cholera] to have declined throughout the region by December or January, more or less,” said Franck Bouvet, West Africa water, hygiene and sanitation specialist with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

In addition to Guinea-Bissau, Niger has seen a serious outbreak this year. Despite over 280 deaths in the two countries, Bouvet says prevalence is no worse than last year, just with different “hot spots”.

“There's a real problem in Guinea-Bissau this year, whereas last year it was Guinea [Conakry]. It's like a leaking pipe, you address the problem in one place and it resurfaces elsewhere.”

Health experts in the region said what's needed is a regional strategy for fighting the disease, which kills hundreds of people in West Africa every year.

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