The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has appealed for U.S. $150 million for all 11 cholera outbreak countries in Africa.
Development Diaries reports that 11 countries in eastern and southern Africa are experiencing an extremely worrying cholera outbreak, with 67,822 cases and 1,788 estimated deaths confirmed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
However, actual figures are likely higher as limitations in surveillance systems, underreporting, and stigma hampers monitoring.
Cholera, according to WHO, is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingesting contaminated food or water.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. People can get sick when they swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria.
Two of the countries with the heaviest burden are Malawi and Mozambique and they have a combined total of more than 5.4 million people in need of support, including more than 2.8 million children.
‘We thought this region won’t see a cholera outbreak this widespread and this deadly in this day and age’, UNICEF Deputy Regional Director, Lieke van de Wiel, said in a statement.
‘Poor water and sanitation, extreme weather events, ongoing conflicts, and weak health systems are compounding and endangering the lives of children across southern Africa’.
After years of declining cases of cholera globally, cases went up in 2022 and were expected to continue to do so in 2023.
Photo source: UNICEF
