DAKAR, 28 August 2007 (IRIN) - At least 800 more people have been infected with cholera over the last week, bringing the total number of reported cases to 2,500 since January out of which 90 people have died, according to the Guinean Ministry of Health.

"The number of people infected by the disease in Conakry has considerably increased since July," said Sergio Martin Esteso, programme head for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Guinea, in a statement. "Of the 1,260 patients treated in the three centres where MSF works, more than 1,000 have been in the past three weeks."

"Once again, health facilities weren't well enough prepared to cope with this emergency," Esteso said.

The disease has spread rapidly despite sensitization efforts including a national radio campaign organised by the government, the Guinean Red Cross and UNICEF, emphasizing the importance of clean water and proper hygiene.

According to MSF, many Guineans cannot afford to purchase clean drinking water, limiting the impact of any prevention messages, and efforts to battle the disease are further hampered by a lack of trained medical staff at treatment centres, MSF said.

Since the arrival of rains in late May, cholera cases recorded by the Guinean Ministry of Health have multiplied exponentially with each passing week. From 13 to 19 August, the Ministry recorded 723 cases.

The capital city Conakry has borne the brunt of the outbreak, accounting for 1,260 of the 2,496 total cases recorded to date.

Cholera is caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae and typically contracted by eating food or drinking water contaminated by the faeces of an infected person. Outbreaks occur frequently in countries with inadequate access to clean water, lack of proper sanitation, and overcrowding.

ur/nr

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org

IRIN news