FREETOWN, Aug 23 (AFP) - Heavy rains flooding the streets of Freetown have contributed to a new cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone, officials said Monday, with at least 20 deaths reported in the capital since early August.
Noah Conteh, director general of medical services for the health ministry in the west African state, said there have been "increasing reports of cases of watery diarrhea in clinics in the capital in recent weeks and laboratory tests conducted on collected specimens have confirmed evidence of cholera."
Cholera, a bacterial infection in the small intestine which is characterized by extreme dehydration and diarrhea, thrives in conditions where water sources are compromised through poor sanitation.
Freetown's war-ravaged infrastructure and public utilities, coupled with weeks of rain that has crumbled buildings and left commuters stranded in thigh-high water, have been a veritable incubator for the disease that can be relatively simple and inexpensive to treat.
The World Health Organization has donated significant quantities of vaccines to treat the latest cholera outbreak.
The health ministry has also advised the public to ensure their drinking water is safe and that all fruits and vegetables are washed before eating.
Health ministry officials have declined to release the number of people seeking treatment for their infections but media reports note an upsurge in hospital visits and some 20 deaths so far this month from cholera.