The Algerian Ministry of Health says two people have died and 139 others have been hospitalised as a new cholera epidemic spreads through the country.
Addressing a press conference in the capital Algiers on Saturday, ministerial Director-General (Preventable Diseases) Jamal Furar said the outbreak was confined to four states.
“The cases were in the four states of Algiers, Tebessa, Blida and Bouira. The outbreak was linked to water contamination.
“A 77-year-old woman died on Friday night, and the tests proved that the cause of death was due to cholera,” Furar said.
The government has been monitoring several cases of cholera reported across several states in the past few months. The current outbreak was first detected in mid-August.
According to a ministerial assessment, most of the cases were linked to the use of contaminated water.
Tunisia and Morocco have placed their epidemiological surveillance units on high alert amid fears of the outbreak exploding into a regional crisis as many Algerians travel daily between its neighbors.
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