Health Alerts

Hundreds of people in southeastern Chad are at risk of dying from a worsening hepatitis E outbreak which has killed 11 people since September, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Thursday. Some 885 people, in the Salamat region have been treated for symptoms of jaundice, which include hepatitis E, MSF said. Most, if not all of the patients, are likely to be suffering from hepatitis E, a liver disease which spreads through water contaminated with faeces, the aid group said. It has recorded 70 cases and 11 deaths, including four pregnant women, to date.

The aid group said it had also rolled out a large scale chlorination campaign at the 72 water points in Am Timan, and is holding education sessions to explain the importance of handwashing wth soap and chlorinated water.