Infos Santé of Friday, 24 October 2014

Source: L'Oeil du Sahel

8 cases of cholera detected in a family in Ngaoundere

On Saturday, October 11, 2014, symptoms of the epidemic were observed in members of a family in Yarban, located not far from the lamidat of Ngaoundéré.

The next day, October 12, 2014, examinations carried out at the Centre Pasteur in Garoua confirmed these suspicions. The eight members of this family were immediately placed in isolation at the regional hospital and supported by the specialized unit.

According to information gathered from Dr. Vohot Déguimé, Director of the regional hospital of Ngaoundéré, the disease was introduced into the family by Bintou Mamadou, an elderly lady of 30 years from the region of the far North where she had already been declared sick, moreover, she died of the disease on 18 October 2014. To identify the germ, a medical team descended to the Yarban district.

"We had a full support from the members of this family home, neighbors and even those who took part in the funeral of Mrs. Bintou", says Dr. Vohot Déguimé. The leaders of the regional hospital of Ngaoundéré took the opportunity to remind populations of the new rules to observe to avoid contracting the disease.

This is the elementary rules of hygiene which requires washing hands with Soap before and after every meal and from the toilet. "In order to prevent any possible contamination, we asked people to contact us quickly on the toll-free number of the hospital which is 119 or call 22 25 11 22. Our epidemiological disease specialists will go down immediately on the ground in order to make the necessary arrangements", Dr. Vohot Déguimé recommended.

Before these details, a rumor quickly denied by the director of the regional hospital of Ngaoundéré announced that 30 cases of cholera have already led to the death of 2 people registered in the Adamaoua region. He however confirmed in an announcement made public on 17 October 2014, the existence of 8 cases of cholera with no recorded death.