Description

About 200 people have died in a worsening cholera outbreak in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno over the past two months, the global medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Wednesday.In a statement, MSF expressed concern over the worsening outbreak, warning that the disease could overwhelm local health facilities despite ongoing response efforts.As of July 12, at least 198 people had died, and more than 35,500 suspected cases had been reported in the state, MSF cited the data released by the Borno state government.The organization said it had treated more than 24,000 patients with suspected cholera as of July 12 while working alongside government health authorities and humanitarian partners. It attributed the continued spread of the disease to inadequate access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare services in affected communities.In April, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention placed 10 states on high alert over the risk of cholera outbreaks linked to heavy rainfall and flooding.The Nigerian government has activated its incident management system and deployed health teams to affected areas.Cholera, an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by contaminated food or water, remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria, particularly in states affected by flooding and poor water and sanitation infrastructure.