- The death toll from an outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea in Ethiopia has risen to 125, the country's health ministry reported. The spread of the disease had been exacerbated by massive flooding last month, it added.
An estimated 15,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea had been reported in Ethiopia since April, the ministry of health said in an update on Friday. The worst affected regions were Oromia and the Southern Nation and Nationalities Peoples’ Regional states (SNNPR) in the south of the country, where most of the flooding occurred and where contaminated river water was putting more people at risk of disease.
"The majority of the people who do not have access to clean water and sanitation are the ones who are currently affected by the outbreak," the ministry's statement said.
The illness was first reported in Gambella region in April. In June, cases were reported in Oromiya and later in the SNNPR, and in the capital, Addis Ababa.
A joint assessment team comprising representatives from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UN World Health Organization, the UN Children's Fund and the Ethiopian government visited some of the affected areas in early August and said the disease was spreading fast and called for increased community awareness to promote hygiene and sanitation, the provision of more medical supplies and water treatment systems.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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