Cholera Outbreak Declared In Buea

Écrit par Cameroon Tribune   

Mardi, 23 Novembre 2010 23:39

A committee led by Governor Koumpa Issa toured Buea neighbourhoods on tuesday to begin sensitizing the public.
An outbreak of cholera has been announced in Buea with seven suspected cases already handled in hospital. Of the seven, one from Bolifamba (Mile 16) has died.
The Secretary General at the South West Governor's Office, Handerson Quetong Kongeh, broke the news 22 November in the company of the Regional Delegate of Public Health, Dr. John Chuwanga and the Buea Council Mayor, Mbella Moki Charles. The Mayor was all the more worried that the limitted water supply in Buea was already a cause for concern.
Addressing an emergency afternoon meeting of the regional committee charged with the fight against cholera in the South West Governor's conference hall in Buea, Quetong Kongeh reported that seven suspected cases of cholera had been received in the Regional Hospital annex Buea among which one has died after arriving the hospital in a most critical condition.
Dr. Chuwanga explained that he had already informed the Ministry of Public Health in Yaounde for expedient means and measures to curb its spread. He said some of the cases came in from Yaounde and elsewhere, and the mortal one was referred to Buea from a private clinic in Mutengene. The first cases in the Buea Hospital came in last 17 November night and Dr. Chuwanga immediately suspected cholera. He sent their specimen to the Centre Pasteur, Yaounde for laboratory confirmation. Yaounde eventually authenticated one of the cases as cholera positive on Monday. The local medical team in Buea still believes that heavy antibiotic administration on the patients might have dissimulated the laboratory results of the six other cases.

However, the Regional Committee set up by the Governor to fight cholera in the South West Region following the start of the epidemic in the Far North Region last May 2010, has been put on the alert. With the handy cases announced in Buea, the Governor has instructed the six Senior Divisional Officers of the Region to exercise maximum alert and act according to the prescriptions of last 30 June Presidential Decree that modified a 1982 one on the prevention and management of catastrophes.

For the time being, the Regional Cholera-crack team has developed an emergency plan to begin with disinfecting all toilets in the Bolifamba, Bomaka and Muea neighbourhoods. Equally, all wells will be chlorinated and educative leaflets distributed to all households especially in the risk zones. Governor Koumpa Issa and the Regional Delegate of Public Health were on the field yesterday with representatives of the National Security, the Gendarmerie, the Administration and the press for action.

As a lucky coincidence, cholera is creeping into Buea at a time when health officials had begun a far reaching education programme last 12-13 October during the World Day for the Prevention of Catastrophes. On the occasion, Dr. Atembeh Bedifeh, the Regional Chief of Unit for (EPI) gave lengthy talks on health related hazards such as hygiene and sanitation, water supply, unhealthy behaviours, alcoholism, working conditions and food hawking.

For the time being, food hawking may meet a stiff discouragement from authorities who saw it during the committee work as a possible conduit of cholera. Transport vehicles will equally be checked for the purpose of hygiene as they transport patients.