UNICEF says more than 28 million people need help after a cholera outbreak in Africa

March 29 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has assured that more than 28 million people need help due to a cholera outbreak affecting eleven countries in eastern and southern Africa.

“This is not just an outbreak, it is an emergency for children,” UNICEF explained in a statement in which they assured that it is one of the worst outbreaks of the disease in recent years.

The infection has so far spread through Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia, South Sudan, Burundi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

UNICEF has ensured that it is developing a personalized response plan for each country, and that in the case of Malawi and Mozambique it will also include remedies for flooding caused by a cyclone; flooding can aggravate the spread of cholera.

In addition, the organization has urgently requested a donation of 171 million dollars (almost 160 million euros) to increase assistance, both to children and families, in the regions most affected by the disease.

Aid includes water, sanitation, hygiene, nutrition, health, education or child protection.

Although UNICEF has received $18.3 million in donations, the response fund is 89 percent short, which is limiting UNICEF’s ability to provide medicines and other aid needed to prevent, cure and control the disease.