The death toll from the ongoing cholera outbreak in Ethiopia has reached 515, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
The WHO, in its latest health cluster bulletin for Ethiopia released late Thursday, said the ongoing cholera outbreak that erupted in August 2022, has continued to spread across the East African country with a significant increase in the number of cholera patients admitted to cholera treatment centers over the past month.
Data from the WHO show that the number of cholera deaths increased from 468 on Jan. 30 to 515 as of Feb. 26, with a case fatality rate of 1.43 percent. The number of cholera cases also increased from 32,548 to 36,061 during the reported period.
The WHO also noted the urgent need for durable solutions to address the root causes of recurrent cholera outbreaks, which include poor-quality drinking water and open defecation.
Noting that some 75 percent of cholera cases report drinking untreated water from rivers, streams and lakes, the WHO said urgent risk communication is needed to inform the population of the risks of drinking unsafe water. ■
