The Cholera death toll in Cameroon has risen by about 50 in just a month, figures from the Health Department have confirmed.

Overall, 426 people have died since the epidemic resurfaced in October 2021; six times more than in 2020 (66 deaths). The overall number of cases is also on the rise. "In total, we have recorded 18,228 cases since the outbreak. The most active region currently is the Central region, but the Littoral remains the region with the highest number of cases. We have a few sporadic cases. The East and West have not recorded any cases in the last two weeks", said Dr. Laurice Patricia Mendjime Fanemann, head of the cholera management unit at the Public health emergency operations coordination center (Ccousp).

The number of cases as of April 30 was 16,062, meaning that about 2,166 new cases have been registered in one month. The Central region, described as the epicenter of the epidemic, has recorded 467 cases in the last two weeks, compared with 8 in the Littoral and just 5 in the South. Cameroon has been grappling with cholera for almost two years now, and despite its best efforts, it is struggling to stem the epidemic.

According to health specialists, limited access to drinking water, poor hygiene conditions, the absence of latrines or poorly equipped toilets in some communities, and the problem of household waste and sewage management are the main factors that contribute to the persistence of cholera epidemics in the country.