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A cholera outbreak has left 15 people dead in three communities in Asaba, the capital city of Nigeria`s oil-rich Delta state, a local radio reported Friday, quoting officials of the state health ministry.
Lagos, Nigeria, 01/08 - A cholera outbreak has left 15 people dead in three communities in Asaba, the capital city of Nigeria`s oil-rich Delta state, a local radio reported Friday, quoting officials of the state health ministry.
Seven deaths were recorded in the cable point area, a heavily- populated community bordering the River Niger, while eight deaths occurred at power lane and Oko Ogbele, two agrarian communities in Asaba.
State health officials said the outbreak followed a severe shortage of potable water in the state capital, which forced many residents to drink water from the river.
Delta state health commissioner Ifeanyi Okowa was quoted as saying the state government had dispatched a team of medical personnel to the area with free drugs and potable water as palliative.
It was the third major cholera outbreak in the country in recent times.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said 1,616 cases of cholera and 126 deaths were reported by Nigeria`s federal ministry of health between September and December 2004.
The northern state of Kano recorded the highest cases of 1316, with 76 deaths, followed by the mid-western Edo state with 300 cases and 50 deaths.
In both states, the WHO said it assisted the federal ministry of health with surveillance activities and supplies of drugs.
Global charity Medecins Sans Frontiers also assisted Edo state in curtailing the disease.