It’s the end of a mystery. This Wednesday, September 5, 2018, the Algerian Ministry of Health announced the discovery of the origin of the cholera epidemic which has been raging in the country since the beginning of August 2018: the bacteria was actually in a river that crosses the regions of Blida, Tipaza and Algiers.
Since August 7, 2018, the cholera epidemic has caused 2 deaths, 86 confirmed cases and 221 hospitalizations in Algeria. The health authorities first suspected the water sources and then the fruits and vegetables, which could be immersed in contaminated water.
As a reminder, according to the Pasteur Institute, cholera is a strictly human epidemic diarrheal disease, caused by a bacterium which circulates in particular via contaminated water. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are approximately 3 million annual cases worldwide and the disease causes more than 95,000 deaths each year on the planet. If cholera is present throughout the world, the African continent concentrates more than 50% of cases.
The cholera epidemic is currently “under control”
In Algeria, the Minister of Health considers that the epidemic is “under control”: “the epidemic is currently confined to the wilaya (pre ©fecture) of Blida” he announced on August 30, 2018, about 50 kilometers from the capital. In addition, the authorities have announced preventive measures, such as awareness sessions in schools on hand washing.
This Wednesday, September 5, 2018, the cholera epidemic in Algeria has caused great concern in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales): a child likely to be a carrier of cholera ©ra was on board a plane from Oran carrying 136 passengers. A false alarm: after analyzes of biological samples, the risk was ruled out in the evening.
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