Neighbours alarmed at Algeria cholera outbreak

Cairo: Tunisia and Morocco have put precautionary measures in place after authorities in neighbouring Algeria have confirmed two deaths resulting from cholera in the North African country.

Health authorities in Algeria said that the second cholera-related death occurred on Friday, triggering panic in the country where the infectious disease was last heard of about 20 years ago.

Some 139 suspected cholera cases, including 46 confirmed ones, have been registered in four states in Algeria, including the capital Algiers, according to the Health Ministry that blamed the incidence on a water spring in the state of Tebessa, west of Algiers.

In response, health authorities in neighbouring Tunisia announced a series of preventive measures linked to drinking water and food. The Tunisian Health Ministry also urged people against drinking water from unsafe sources and to strictly observe hygienic standards.

Health authorities in Morocco, meanwhile, put hospitals nationwide on alert for detecting any incidence of cholera in the country and checking passengers arriving in from Algeria, Moroccan media reported.

Cholera is caused by the intake of contaminated water or food, and results in an acute diarrhoea, which can be fatal if untreated.