UN: Over 12,000 cholera cases in Guinea Bissau

24 October 2008

GENEVA – The United Nations says over 12,220 people have been infected with cholera in Guinea-Bissau and 201 have died from the disease.

UNICEF spokeswoman Veronique Taveau says the outbreak of cholera in the West African nation has proven exceptionally difficult to control.

Taveau says the capital of Bissau has more than half of the cases, but the disease has spread to all provinces since it started in mid-May.

Taveau said Friday that officials fear the disease could spread further because of an election campaign expected to draw large crowds in unhygienic conditions.

U.N. humanitarian spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs says the United Nations is already spending $1 million to fight the cholera outbreak.

Commentary:
As to this cholera epidemic that it usually is in the water supply, especially if wells or of this nature get’s low and in some cases stagnates; is it possible to purify the water in some manner or supply water until the contamination is resolved.

In the US at one time, American’s use to get this disease and Diphtheria, but nevertheless, it was caused when there use to be dug wells and when the water got low especially in summer; there was at times major epidemics like is being faced in Guinea-Bissau.

As to Diphtheria, some of the symptom’s do reoccur after a person has had the disease throughout the rest of there life, similar to the reoccurrence of malaria.