No new Ebola cases have emerged in the last three weeks, however a single infected person who had escaped from a treatment facility remains at large (in an unsecured area). The WHO notes that intervention is needed to attend to the ‘outbreaks of measles and cholera, the low-level Ebola virus disease outbreak in North Kivu and COVID-19 … to avoid catastrophic consequences from one or the other’. Read more. In neighbouring Uganda, a limited outbreak of cholera was confirmed last week in the NE district of Moroto. To date 67 cases and one death have been recorded. Elsewhere, cholera cases continue to be reported in Kenya’s Marsabit County, one of five in which active transmission has been recorded this year, and a cholera outbreak has been in Cameroon’s most populous city of Douala, killing four people.
Advice for travellers
Cholera is usually spread in contaminated water. For most short-stay travellers, the risk of infection is low. Australians travelling to regions where a cholera outbreak is occurring should adhere to strict personal hygiene guidelines and choose food and beverages with care. Read more about cholera.
Before you travel, call Travelvax Australia’s telephone advisory service on 1300 360 164 (toll-free from landlines) for country-specific advice and information. You can also make an appointment at your nearest Travelvax clinic to obtain vaccinations, medication to prevent or treat illness, and accessories for your journey.