The total number of cholera outbreak victims in Ethiopia including the capital city, Addis Ababa, has reached 614, says, Ethiopian Public Health Institute.
The Institute stated that the cholera outbreak which, was started in Amhara region of Ethiopia two months ago and killed several people, has now spread to Addis Ababa, Tigray and Oromia r
egions of the country. Currently in Oromia region 294 people, in Amhara 198, in Addis Ababa 70 and 18 people in Tigray region are infected by cholera epidemic, according to Dr. Beyene Moges, Deputy Director of Ethiopian Public Health Institute, who briefed the media today.
He stated that to treat the cholera patients, the government has set up 18 treatment centers in the four regions. The government is also planning to start vaccinating some 17,000 people living around the areas where people are infected by cholera. He also mentioned that to avoid the spread of cholera outbreak to the neighboring countries like Kenya, Ethiopian government is undertaking cautionary measures.
A week ago the total number of people infected by Cholera in Ethiopia were 525. Following the rapid expansion of the epidemic, the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia has now launched awareness raising campaign on how to fight against cholera on the national tv. Currently other than Ethiopia, in East Africa many people infected by cholera are identified mainly in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
In relation to the rainy season of Ethiopia, outbreak of other waterborne diseases such as Guinea-worm is expected. Dr. Beyene advised the public to be cautious of sanitation and boil water before drinking to stop the spread of waterborne diseases including acute water diarrhea, which has also been a cause for the death of people in Ethiopia recently.