Cholera kills 11 people in eastern Tanzania

A cholera outbreak has killed 11 people out of 17 cases in eastern Tanzania's district of Kilosa, officials said Monday.

Adam Mgoyi, Kilosa District Commissioner said Kilangala ward is the highly affected area with the infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if untreated.

The affected area is located nearly 300 kilometers from Tanzania's busiest commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

The commissioner cited poor sanitation and lack of clean and safe water as the major cause of the cholera.

According to Mgoyi, six people have been hospitalized at Kilosa District Hospital for treatment.

"We have launched a campaign against families without toilets in the affected areas, where villagers are informed on the importance of drinking boiled water, and entire hygiene."

Ramadhani Mfaume, Kilangala ward councilor, said that the disease erupted in the area five days ago, citing drinking water from the polluted river as one of the causes of cholera in the area, popular for growing paddy.

According to Mfaume, villagers in the affected areas are currently depending on river water as infrastructures for piped water was damaged a month ago and efforts to repair it proved futile.

According to World Health Organization, by April 20 this year, a total of 24,108 cases, including 378 deaths, had been reported in Tanzania. The majority of these cases had been reported from 23 regions in mainland Tanzania. Endit