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27 dead in cholera outbreak at Burundi refugee camp in Tanzania

By Danielle Haynes
Many of the Burundian refugees arriving in Kigoma, Tanzania, are ill and must be transported for medical care. As of May 21, UNICEF says a cholera outbreak has killed 27 refugees. Photo courtesy International Committee of the Red Cross
1 of 6 | Many of the Burundian refugees arriving in Kigoma, Tanzania, are ill and must be transported for medical care. As of May 21, UNICEF says a cholera outbreak has killed 27 refugees. Photo courtesy International Committee of the Red Cross

KAGUNGA, Tanzania, May 21 (UPI) -- At least 27 people have died in an outbreak of cholera at a Burundian refugee camp in Tanzania, humanitarian workers said Thursday.

An estimated 50,000 refugees from Burundi live at a camp in the village of Kagunga, where cholera is suspected of sickening another 15 people, UNICEF said. The World Health Organization says up to 90,000 people live at the camp in the village.

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More than 112,000 have fled Burundi in recent weeks during an attempted military overthrow of the government. Many are living in camps along the shores of Lake Tanganyika, where conditions are poor.

Between 500 and 2,000 people arrive each day, overwhelming the health system infrastructure where there is already limited camping space, poor hygiene, and inadequate sanitation and drinking water.

WHO says non-cholera-related cases of diarrhea have climbed to more than 1,000.

UNICEF has sent cholera treatment supplies, water, sanitation, and health and nutrition items to help fight the outbreak of disease. The organization has also assisted the Burundian Ministry of Health in reopening a cholera treatment center nearby.

"Children constitute more than half of the population on the move and are particularly vulnerable to cholera," said UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern & Southern Africa, Leila Gharagozloo-Pakkala. "Concerted action by the two counties has fast tracked the dispatch of lifesaving commodities to stem the spread of the outbreak."

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Refugees in Kagunga are waiting to be transported to the larger town of Kigoma, where more resources are available, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

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