Cholera Epidemic Kills 17 People in Burundi

Bujumbura, Jul 22 (Prensa Latina) At least 17 people died and 900 were affected by a cholera epidemic in Burundi, revealed today public health sources of this country, located in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa.

At such a critical situation, the Director General of Public Health Ngirigi Liboire expressed concern for the epidemic, which causes severe damages since last October.

The cholera outbreak, which emerged in northern suburbs of the capital and in the provinces of Cibitoke and Bubanza, northeast, spread to other southern territories, the official said.

According to Public Health agencies, the spread of the disease in Burundi is due to consumption by the population of contaminated water and poor hygiene in numerous streets and homes, where there are piles of trash accumulated.

In order to prevent further deaths from cholera, a disease that mainly affects the poor, Burundian health officials urged residents to avoid consuming untreated water from Lake Tanganyika and use latrines instead of open defecation, among other measures.

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