Cholera epidemic has been declared in Bujumbura by the country’s ministry of health after cases of Cholera were reported this Sunday.
In a statement that was signed by Burundi’s Minister of Health, nine cases were recorded in Bujumbura after results from the city’s main laboratory turned positive of the disease.
“9 suspected cases of cholera were registers in Bukirasazi quarter as the individuals were vomiting and had diarrhea on December 31st, 2022 while other two cases were recorded in Cibitoke and Mutakura,” a statement reads from the country’s health minister doctor Sylvie Nzeyimana.
The health minister said that emergency measures have been taken to contain and prevent the spread of the disease in Bujumbura, as the affected households were disinfected and a sensitization campaign has been launched to create awareness to the public on the prevention of the now declared epidemic in the country.
Bujumbura has for decades been battling cholera with most recently being declared as an epidemic in 2016 and 2019, in a statement the health ministry indicated that the epidemic was majorly caused by lack of clean/drinking water, poor sanitation in the neighborhood.
“We encourage the local administrators to help encourage the population in the local communities to exercise proper hygiene, washing hands after visiting toilets or going to prepare, eat food,” the statement reads.