July 9, 2020

A cholera outbreak has killed 12 people in the fishing village of Londji in south Cameroon, local health authorities said Wednesday.

According to the health authorities, 62 confirmed cases out of 83 suspected ones in the village located about 15 km from the country’s seaside resort town of Kribi.

Cameroon’s South regional governor Felix Nguele Nguele said a major vaccination campaign to contain the spread of the disease would soon begin in the village.

“We need to act urgently. The situation is disturbing,” Nguele told reporters, adding that fishermen in the village would be relocated as “a precautionary measure.”

Officials blamed poor hygiene conditions and promiscuity for the spread of the epidemic in Londji.

The epidemic was first detected in June after the sudden death of four villagers with cholera-related symptoms.