Cholera outbreak in Nigeria kills nearly 100 people

Lagos (AFP) – A cholera outbreak in northeastern Nigeria has killed nearly 100 people in the last two weeks, the UN said on Saturday.

More than 3,000 cases of cholera have been reported in the states of Yobe and Borno, in a region that is also facing a Boko Haram insurgency.

"The cumulative number of cases registered in both states is currently 3,126, including 97 deaths," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The outbreak was declared two weeks ago in Borno, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people live in camps.

Boko Haram has intensified its attacks, especially against military targets in recent months.

On Wednesday, the UN said more than 500 people had died of cholera in the Lake Chad region since the beginning of the year, the worst epidemic in four years.

He said more than six million people could be affected by the epidemic without the need to control them.

The expected floods and heavy rains were "an ideal environment for the spread of the epidemic," OCHA warned.

The Lake Chad region straddles parts of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, which are also facing a jihadist insurgency.

OCHA said that Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, was the most affected with 24,000 cases in total, and said that immediate action was needed to curb the disease.

Cholera is caused by a bacterium transmitted by contaminated food or drinking water. It causes acute diarrhea, especially in children.

Water-borne diseases are a constant threat in the Lake Chad region due to the lack of adequate sanitation facilities and stagnant groundwater during the rainy season.