Diarrhea Outbreak Kills 89 in Ethiopia, Nearly 10,000 Cases Reported

A severe outbreak of Acute Watery Diarrhea has claimed 89 lives in Ethiopia, with close to 9,270 cases recorded since June, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The disease has spread into the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region, one of five administrative divisions in the country. A joint UN inter-agency assessment was conducted in the affected areas, where 44 treatment centers have been established to manage the crisis.

Officials say contaminated river water used for drinking is the likely primary cause, as sewage has polluted sources relied upon by residents in affected villages. Poor sanitation infrastructure and inadequate hygiene practices are compounding the problem.

Disease outbreaks are a recurring challenge in Ethiopia, a Horn of Africa nation of roughly 70 million people, the majority of whom already contend with chronic food insecurity.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in August 2006, in its own words.