ADDIS ABABA: At least 31 people have died and over 1,500 cases of cholera have been reported in Ethiopia’s Gambella region in the past month, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned on Friday, calling the outbreak “rapidly spreading.”
The situation has worsened with the influx of refugees fleeing violence in neighboring South Sudan, further straining resources, MSF said in a statement.
Cholera outbreaks have affected several regions of Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous country, with Amhara among the hardest hit. Meanwhile, in South Sudan’s Akobo County (Upper Nile region), 1,300 cholera cases have been recorded in just four weeks, MSF reported.
The disease, an acute intestinal infection caused by Vibrio cholerae, spreads through contaminated food and water, often due to poor sanitation.
MSF highlighted that recent clashes in Upper Nile between the South Sudanese government and armed groups have further exacerbated the crisis.
“Thousands are being displaced, losing access to healthcare, clean water, and sanitation,” the NGO said.
South Sudan, struggling with instability and poverty, declared a cholera epidemic in October.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 4,000 people died from cholera in 2023, a 71% increase from the previous year, with Africa being the worst affected. The WHO warns that cholera remains a global public health threat, reflecting inequality and lack of development.
Access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene is critical in preventing further outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases, the UN health agency stressed.
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