A cholera epidemic has raged in Niger for several weeks, particularly in the regions of Maradi and Zinder, which border Nigeria, a country also affected by the disease. Niger’s Minister of Public Health, if he wants to be optimistic, urges the population to mobilize.
According to the authorities, 600 cases have been identified in all the affected regions, about 400 cured, 19 deaths and 156 people currently under treatment. The authorities claim that they have set up health centers in the affected regions, as well as conducting education campaigns and awareness campaigns.
People with symptoms must inform their healthcare staff, insists Dr. Idi Illiassou Mainassara, Minister of Public Health of Niger, together with Charlotte Cosset by Africa’s editorial staff. “The support is 100% free,” reminds the minister, who is reassuring. “The last cholera epidemic in Niger goes back to 2018. We have experience of dealing with this disease … If the disease is caught in time, many human lives can be saved. “
The heavy rains that hit Niger accentuate the factors for the spread of the virus. They have claimed dozens of victims and affected tens of thousands of people in the capital Niamey and the Maradi regions in the southeast and Agadez in the desert north, according to official data.
►Also read : In Niger, the rainy season has already killed at least 35 people and caused a lot of damage
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