Cholera kills 424, infects 14,000 in southern Sudan

June 2, 2006 (NAIROBI) — A cholera outbreak has killed at least 424 people and sickened 14,000 since January in southern Sudan, and officials are concerned the disease could spread to other countries, the World Health Organization said Friday.

The outbreak has hit seven states in southern Sudan, the Geneva-based U.N. organization said. Neighboring countries must stay on alert for the disease, the agency said.

“On the Kenya side and on the Uganda side, they have to get prepared to diagnose suspect cases quickly and to treat them quickly by rehydration,” said WHO’s cholera chief Claire-Lise Chaignat.

Cholera can be treated easily, but it is a major killer in developing countries. It is transmitted through contaminated water and is linked to poor hygiene, overcrowding and inadequate sanitation.

Southern Sudan’s infrastructure has been battered by 21 years of civil war. Although a peace treaty ended the fighting more than a year ago, little has improved in the region.

The first suspected cases were reported at the end of January in Yei. The disease was then reported in Juba, the capital of southern Sudan, and it has spread quickly. Juba has a population of more than 250,000 people who are known to rely heavily on polluted water from the River Nile.

(ST/AP)