Cholera epidemic hits Central African Republic

A cholera epidemic has claimed 16 lives in the Central African Republic, according to a health ministry spokesman. The latest reports show 57 cases and 16 deaths from the illness, which has reached the capital city of Bangui.

Reuters/Luc Gnago

A hospital official in Bangui said on Saturday that four cases had been declared in the capital, and that the Red Cross has intervened.

Another health services source said that cholera had killed six people in the Limbo region.

Health Minister Jean-Michel Mandaba announced on 30 September that the death toll had reached at least 10 in the southern regions of Ombella-Mpoko and Lobaye.

The outbreak comes two months after health officials warned of a potential cholera epidemic, after finding the presence of the disease in nearby countries.