Ivory Coast health authorities have declared a cholera outbreak in the capital’s outskirts, reporting seven deaths and dozens of infections within days. This has reignited fears of a larger health crisis in the region.
The announcement came Thursday after lab tests confirmed the presence of the cholera vibrio bacteria in stool samples taken from affected patients, AP reported. Daniel Kouadio Ekra, head of the National Institute of Public Hygiene, officially confirmed the outbreak, citing findings from the Pasteur Institute of Côte d’Ivoire.
“On May 25, 2025, the Port-Bouët-Vridi health district reported five deaths in the village of Vridi Akobrate,” he said.
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Health officials have now recorded 45 cases in Vridi Akobrate, a vulnerable community near Abidjan. All seven fatalities occurred within the first two days of the outbreak, and all were reported within the same neighborhood.
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Ivory Coast has grappled with multiple cholera epidemics since the 1990s, but public health experts warn that current conditions make the situation especially precarious. Africa is currently bearing the brunt of global cholera deaths, experiencing eight times as many fatalities as the Middle East, the second-hardest-hit region, according to the World Health Organization.
The disease, often referred to as a “disease of poverty,” spreads rapidly in areas with inadequate sanitation and limited access to clean water, conditions worsened by climate change and the ongoing El Niño weather phenomenon. Compounding the threat is a global shortage of cholera vaccines, which are typically allocated to low-income nations most at risk.
In response to the outbreak, health officials are urging the public to take preventative measures.
“The government calls on the population to remain vigilant, namely to consume safe drinking water, avoid street water bags, and wash their hands regularly,” Kouadio Ekra said on Thursday.
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