15 children die as cholera outbreak kills 120 in two days in central Afghanistan

Jul. 11 () –

Authorities in Afghanistan confirmed Monday a cholera outbreak in Baghran district, Helmand province (south), adding that 120 children have so far been confirmed infected, 15 of whom have died.

The deputy director of the Helmand Information Department, Mohamad Qasim Riyaz, has indicated that the 120 cases have been confirmed during the last two days, as reported by the Afghan news agency Pajhwok.

Also, the deputy director of the provincial Health Department, Naqibullah Faté, has confirmed the dispatch of medical teams from Naumesh and Lashkargah to Baghran district to support the response at the health level.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacillus ‘vibrio cholerae’, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which stresses that the disease “remains a global threat to public health and an indicator of inequality and lack of social development.”