July 14, 2002

Cholera Confirmed in Afghan Capital

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Three people have been diagnosed with cholera in the Afghan capital and there were fears the infectious, waterborne disease could spread, the World Health Organization said Sunday.

Some 6,000 people have been hospitalized in the past three weeks as Kabul experienced an outbreak of diarrhea-related illnesses, said WHO spokeswoman Loretta Hieber Girardet. Three people have died of severe dehydration.

Afghan health authorities and WHO have started "immediate implementation of epidemic prevention measures throughout Kabul" to stop cholera and related diseases from spreading, she said. Among these measures are water purification and public education.

The bacteria that causes cholera attacks the intestine of humans and can cause death by severe dehydration.

"Cholera can spread like wildfire if control measures are not urgently implemented," Girardet said. "There are severe water and sanitation problems in Kabul."

Diarrhea kills an estimated 85,000 children a year in Afghanistan and is considered to be the impoverished country's major health risk, Girardet said.