Cholera Cases in Algeria Rise to 59

Algeria is facing an outbreak of Cholera with 59 confirmed cases so far in five provinces, 11 were registered in the capital city, the health ministry said.

Observers estimate that the scale of the cholera outbreak is much higher than what authorities claim as the polluted water continue to be considered the main cause for the disease in the country.

The ministry said that 66 people suspected to have cholera were treated and left the hospital.

It said that the province of Blida, 50 kilometers south of Algiers, remains the most affected area with 30 confirmed cases.

Overall, some 150 people have been hospitalized across the country since August 7 because of the disease.

Trade unions have called for delaying the start of the new school year because of the outbreak of the disease, which caused so far two deaths. The government rejects these calls insisting that the situation is “completely under control.”

President of the National Council of the Order of Doctors lamented the state of health in the country, saying that he regretted that the Pasteur Institute – the body in charge of preventive healthcare and infectious diseases in Algeria – was neither capable of controlling the “epidemic” nor identifying its origin.

Cholera is a highly contagious bacterial infection spread through contaminated food or water. It occurs most frequently in places with poor sanitation and sewage facilities, and can be fatal within hours if left untreated.