The number of cases of cholera has decreased in both Sierra Leone and Guinea, following deadly outbreaks of the waterborne disease, the United Nations said on Friday.
According to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), both Sierra Leone and Guinea have reported a drop in the number of people with the bacterial illness, which can spread rapidly in densely populated areas during the rainy season, causing extreme vomiting, diarrhea
and severe dehydration.
A total of 25,107 cases and 392 deaths were reported in both countries as of 16 September, compared to 21,772 cases and 362 deaths as of 4 September.
The fatality rate from cholera in Sierra Leone now stands at less than one per cent, OCHA said.
In August, the Sierra Leone government declared a national emergency due to the outbreak, which has affected 12 of the country's 13 districts.
Heavy rains in Sierra Leone and Guinea are expected to ease in the coming weeks as the annual wet season draws to a close.
dpa kt jln Author: Kate Thomas