The top brass of the Health Department in the country are apprehensive about the likelihood of the cholera epidemic proliferating as more kids head back to schools in Cameroon.

The country faced its biggest epidemic outbreak in years and the Health Department is gearing up to curb the outbreak in the best possible manner. The UN Children’s Fund Representative in Cameroon, Musu Clements Hope feels that the deficiency of toilets and hygienic potable water in schools up north is going to make the conditions even more pathetic.

“With school opening and without the proper water and sanitation infrastructure in schools UNICEF sees an increased risk of transferring cholera.” Clemens Hope opines.

The government in sync with UNICEF has undertaken a “My School without cholera” crusade with the motive of making not just the kids but also their family and relative understand the importance of maintaining hygiene, keeping their drinking water as clean and free from germs as possible , importance of regularly washing their hands with the right kind of disinfectant and other easy to use techniques that can go a long way in preventing further outbreaks.

North Cameroon, Africa

The other positive measure that the Government has taken in this regard is to provide 600000 US dollars to prevent the spread of the disease as well as to take stringent measures for protection. Clemens Hope was happy to also announce that the money would be deployed to build as many latrines as possible and to construct wells close to the areas struck by the epidemic. The steps to be taken will commence immediately and will gain speed as time progresses.

About Cholera

Cholera is a serious infection that affects the intestine and stomach and causes vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration. The epidemic is most common in West Africa and generally occurs during monsoons when the rain water washes the fecal matter done in open into streams from which people consume water.

As per reports taken in early September this year the outbreak had affected 4541 people in the Far and North east regions of Cameroon out of which 331 lives were lost.