Cholera outbreak: 39 cases confirmed

RUSIZI - Health officials in Rusizi district have registered 39 cases of admitted people suspected to have cholera but no single death has been reported. The outbreak has been confirmed by the Ministry of Health.According to Sifa Nyirabaziga the Director of Bugarama Health Centre, the outbreak started two weeks ago and has hit Bugarama cell the most. The Ministry of Health has so far reported 39 cases but according to Nyirabaziga, cases of those suspected to have contracted the epidemic had risen to 41. “It is a result of consumption of unclean water; we currently suspect that it started from the neighboring countries of Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi,” said Nyirabaziga. She added that authorities have now restricted residents from consuming the water from the Rubyiro River. Rubyiro River is shared by the three countries, Rwanda Burundi and DRC. “After suspecting the epidemic, the medical centre sent over stool samples to the National Referral Laboratory which proved that it was indeed cholera,” said Nyirabaziga. Meanwhile, in an email sent to The New Times, the Director General of the Health Communication Centre in the Ministry of Health, Gamaliel Binamungu said that some samples tested at the National Reference Laboratory confirmed positive for the Vibrio Cholerae Ogawa. “The organism was sensitive to tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and cefotaxim. Bugarama borders Congo and Burundi where there are rumors of ongoing cholera outbreak,” reads the investigative report of the health situation in Bugarama. “The sector also has many cells that lack portable water and therefore depend on sources that are thought to be unsafe. We conducted this study to confirm and determine the magnitude of the outbreak and to determine possible sources of contamination,” the document adds. Ends