Angolan cholera outbreak kills 3,000
Pastor Dale Morgan
POSTED: 1525 GMT (2325 HKT), January 15, 2007
Story Highlights
• Epidemic broke out 11 months ago in Luanda; 69,000 cases of cholera
reported
• The epidemic has spread to all but one of the country's 18 provinces
• Aid agencies are providing water dispensers, water purification
tablets and soap
LUANDA, Angola (AP) -- Almost 3,000 people have died of cholera in
Angola since an epidemic broke out last February, authorities said Monday.
The Health Ministry said in a report it had recorded more than 69,000
cases of cholera and around 3,000 fatalities.
The epidemic, which started in Luanda, the capital, has spread to all
but one of the southwest African country's 18 provinces.
Foreign aid agencies have been distributing water dispensers, water
purification tablets and soap in affected areas.
Cholera is transmitted through contaminated water and is linked to poor
hygiene, overcrowding and inadequate sanitation. Though it can be
treated easily, cholera is a major killer in developing countries.
Angola's health care and sanitation systems remain weak after a
two-decade civil war that ended in 2002.