Niger health minister, Idi Illiassou Mainassara, on Monday said the cholera outbreak in the southern part of the State has killed 12 people and infected 201 others across three regions with heavy rains helping to further spread the disease.

The minister said in a statement that Niger health authorities believe the outbreak is an epidemic.

“Most of the cases are related to an epidemic that has been raging for several months in neighbouring cross-border regions where there is significant mixing of cross-border populations.”

The previous cholera outbreak in Niger occurred in the same regions in 2018, Mainassara said.

Niger’s border with Nigeria is a hot spot for cholera outbreaks, where populations often move freely between both countries with minimal restrictions, Mainassara said.

 

NAN