Cameroon cholera death toll rises to 65

By Tansa Musa

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Cholera has killed 65 people in Cameroon since mid-September in the deadliest outbreak in five years, leading the government to step up monitoring and sanitation efforts.

The disease strikes often in the West African country, where fewer than half of the population have access to potable water, according to the United Nations.

Prime Minister Philemon Yang said on Friday he had asked the Health Ministry to boost surveillance of outbreaks along the border with Nigeria, where the government believes the current epidemic originated.

He also asked the Interior Ministry to develop a hygiene and sanitation program aimed at preventing future outbreaks.

Officials have reported 407 cases of cholera since mid-September. Most of the 65 deaths have been in remote areas in the far north that have no access to health facilities, according to Yang's press release.

The outbreak is the worst since one in 2004 that killed 100 people in the economic capital, Douala.

Last week, Cameroon's water utility said it had secured $192.6 million in loans from Belgian bank Dexia and China to extend water supplies in Douala and rural areas.