YAOUNDE, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people have died in a cholera outbreak in N'Djamena, Chad's capital, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
According to data presented at an emergency meeting chaired by government delegate Amina Kodjiana, N'Djamena had recorded 75 cases as of Tuesday. Of those, eight people died, eight remain hospitalized and 59 have recovered.
Officials said the disease has now been detected in nine neighborhoods of the city.
Kodjiana urged community leaders to step up public awareness efforts and encourage basic preventive habits, including washing hands before eating and after using the toilet, drinking clean water and maintaining clean surroundings.
Cholera is a highly virulent disease characterized in its most severe form by a sudden onset of acute watery diarrhea that can lead to severe dehydration and death if left untreated. ■