Cholera outbreak on African island Sao Tome - U.N. rushes in aid

May 10 2005

Local authorities on the tiny African island of Sao Tome say an outbreak of cholera which has already claimed three lives is now up to 131 cases. Sao Tome is the smallest country in Africa.

The U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) have rushed $53,000 of medical supplies to the island, which includes medicines and oral rehydration salts, and they have also helped launch a campaign to inform the public about the outbreak.

The majority of the cases have been reported in or near the capital city, also known as Sao Tome, which is where most of the island's 140,000 population lives.

UNICEF is also working with local authorities and the World Health Organization to help detect new cases and prevent the spread of the disease and to also distribute clean water.

UNICEF says that cholera, which is spread through contaminated water and food, is usually caused by bad water. Many that are infected will die, usually from severe dehydration due to diarrhoea, if the community is unprepared for an outbreak and treatment comes too late.

Almost 20 percent of the population of Sao Tome has no access to safe drinking water and just 9 percent use safe toilet facilities.

The volcanic island is densely forested and is part of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator and west of Gabon.

http://www.unicef.org/