Cholera Imperils 120 Million Latins, World Body Says
Latin America’s cholera epidemic threatens up to 120 million people in the region, and providing safe water and sanitation to stop its spread could cost $50 billion, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
People living in poor conditions in urban shantytowns as well as in rural areas are especially at risk, Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima, the U.N. agency’s director general, said.
The epidemic, which appeared on Peru’s northern coast in January, has spread to neighboring Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Brazil.
Brazil’s Health Ministry on Thursday confirmed the first case of cholera among a remote Amazon tribe living near the Colombia border, and said the health of the entire 20,000-member Tikuna group is considered in danger.
Nakajima announced the creation of a WHO task force, which he said will develop a worldwide strategy for helping countries fight what he termed a health emergency.
Nakajima, speaking at a news conference, appealed for international financial support.
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