Cholera outbreak kills more than 100 in Angola: Ministry

Launda: A cholera outbreak in Angola has killed at least 108 people since the start of the year, the health ministry said Tuesday, with deaths on the rise in the last few days.

The resource-rich African nation has struggled with high poverty rates and poor sanitation despite its oil wealth.

There have been 3,147 confirmed cases of the disease since January 7, the health ministry said, nearly half of them in the capital Luanda.

The age range of those affected is between two and 100, it said.

At least 48 people have died in Luanda and 43 in Bengo, a province neighbouring the capital.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with the bacterium vibrio cholerae, often from faeces.

It causes severe diarrhoea, vomiting and muscle cramps.

Cholera can kill within hours when not attended to, though it can be treated with simple oral rehydration, and antibiotics for more severe cases.

The World Health Organization said last year that deaths from cholera worldwide in 2023 had soared by 71 per cent compared to the previous year.

The regions hardest hit by cholera changed considerably. A 32 per cent drop in cases was seen in the Middle East and Asia, while a 125 per cent jump was reported in Africa, the data showed.