KIGALI, Rwanda
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF handed over 1.1 million doses of cholera vaccines on Thursday to the Chadian government, an official announced, which are expected to help curb the spread of the disease in the Central African country as the death toll mounts.
Mahamat Hamit Ahmat, Deputy General Secretary in the Ministry of Public Health and Prevention, told reporters the vaccines will help fight a cholera outbreak in Sila and Ouaddai provinces and prevent new cases.
The cholera epidemic, declared on July 13, has killed 75 people in eastern Chad, according to statistics released Wednesday by health officials.
Ahmat said a vaccination campaign will be conducted from Sept. 2-8 in five health districts in the east of the country.
Globally, so far this year, more than 390,000 cases of cholera have been recorded and over 4,300 deaths across 31 countries, according to the WHO.
Cholera has swept through several African nations, including Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, due to poor sanitation and climate-related flooding.
Cholera, a bacterial infection, is caused by consuming contaminated water or food.
