Cholera detected in Kabul

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Authorities have detected 30 cases of cholera among more than 2,500 instances of acute diarrhoea in the Afghan capital Kabul, but there appears to be no danger of an epidemic despite four deaths, officials said on Tuesday.

The cholera cases were detected in the past three weeks and the government had taken immediate action to ensure water supplies were kept clean by chlorination, said Abdullah Fahim, an adviser to the Ministry of Public Health.

He said four deaths had been reported, one caused by diarrhoea and at least two of the others by cholera.

Fahim said the cases occurred sporadically in various parts of Kabul and added: “It’s not an outbreak; it’s not a public health problem.”

Abdi Momin, Kabul medical officer for the United Nations’ World Health Organisation, said there appeared no cause for alarm.

He said that as of June 12, the Health Ministry had reported 2,578 cases of acute diarrhoea, some of which had been confirmed to have been caused by cholera.

He said 603 diarrhoea patients had been hospitalised, but most were treated as outpatients.

“The fatality rate is quite low,” he said. “We can’t say this is an epidemic - it’s something normal at this time of year.”

Momin said the WHO was working with the government to strengthen surveillance and to ensure preventative measures were in place. “It seems the situation is under control,” he said.

Cholera is spread through contaminated water and food, and sudden outbreaks are usually caused by bad water. According to the United Nations, as many as half of those infected can die - typically from severe dehydration due to diarrhoea if a community is unprepared for an outbreak and treatment comes too late. 

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