The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported that 11 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa are experiencing an extremely worrying cholera outbreak, with 67,822 cases and an estimated 1,788 deaths. These are Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Republic of South Africa, Mozambique, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi and Somalia.
The information was given by UNICEF through a press release dated March 9, 2023, indicating that extreme climatic events amplify the lack of financing for water and sanitation infrastructure.
According to the same source, the actual numbers are likely higher, as limitations in surveillance systems, non-reporting and stigma complicate assessment. Among the 11 countries, Malawi and Mozambique are the most affected. These two countries have a total of more than “5.4 million people in need of assistance, including more than 2.8 million children”.
“We could not have thought that this region would experience such a widespread and deadly cholera epidemic in our time,” UNICEF deputy regional director Lieke Van de Wiel told an emergency ministerial meeting on cholera in Lilongwe, Malawi. For the director, the lack of water and sanitation, extreme weather events, ongoing conflicts and weak health systems are all factors that endanger the lives of children throughout southern Africa.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cholera is an extremely virulent disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhea. These symptoms appear between 12 hours and 5 days after ingestion of contaminated water or food. Affecting both children and adults, the disease can kill within hours if left untreated.
Souleymane SIDIBE