Cholera outbreak kills six in Angolan capital

The Angolan government has announced a series of emergency measures to tackle an outbreak of cholera that has killed six people in Luanda, the capital.

Photo: Cholera outbreak kills six in Angolan capital

Authorities said late Sunday that they recorded 32 cholera cases last week in the Boavista district of Luanda, about half of them among children under 5, and that six cases were fatal.

About 4 million people live in Luanda where public infrastructure crumbled during a two-decade civil war that ended in 2002.

Cholera is transmitted by infected water and is linked to poor hygiene, overcrowding and inadequate sanitation.

Vita Vemba, the regional health director, told a news conference authorities would set up an emergency health clinic in Boavista to treat victims.

Cholera can be treated easily if patients are rehydrated quickly, reports the AP.

I.L.