More than 18 confirmed dead in an outbreak of cholera in central Tanzania’s Dodoma region in four months, a health official said on Tuesday, February 20, 2018.
James Kiologwe, a Dodoma Regional Medical Officer revealed that since October 2017, over 470 cholera cases had been recorded in the region.
He said in December 2017 and January 2018, cholera cases were low, but the number went up this February 2018.
According to Kiologwe, Mpwapwa and Chamwino are the districts worse hit with cholera, an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea and leads to dehydration and even death if untreated.
Cholera is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae.
“Until Monday this week, there were about 26 new cases in Mpwapwa and Chamwino districts,’’ he said, noting that 22 of the 26 have been discharged after treatment.
Efforts are underway to contain the disease, particularly in the harder hit areas, including educating people to observe general hygiene.
“A team of health practitioners has been dispatched in those areas to educate people on the effective use of latrines or other sanitation systems, like chemical toilets, and encourage them to ensure that they wash hands with soap and safe water after toileting,’’ the official said.
According to Punch, the World Health Organisation, WHO, from August 15, 2, 15 to January 7, 2018, 33,421 cholera cases, including 542 deaths have been reported across all 26 regions of Tanzania.
