A cholera outbreak in the Sierra Leonean capital of Freetown and surrounding areas has made 1,433 people ill, of whom 47 have died over the past two months, health officials said Wednesday.
According to the latest weekly report by a anti-cholera special task force "47 people have died between (mid) August and October 12".
Alhassan Sesay, director of disease prevention and control at the health ministry, said health organisations including the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF have stepped up prevention campaigns.
They "have increased sensitisation campaigns, chlorinating of water wells and disaffection of toilets in areas where the disease is prevalent," he told reporters.
Health workers in outlying clinics said symptoms of the disease started appearing in August but "deaths shot up later in September and early October" according to one nurse reached by telephone.
Most cases are occurring in the outlying communities at Kissy Grassfield, Wellington and Calabar Town of the war-ravaged west African country hit shortages of potable water in recent weeks.
"Many of the deaths were due to patients being brought late to clinics," said the nurse.
Nine clinics have been designated and equipped to deal with the outbreak, according to a ministry of health statement.
Over 60 people died in Sierra Leone's last major cholera outbreak in 2004.
The disease is an acute intestinal infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the cholera bacteria. If not treated immediately it can cause rapid loss of body fluids and can be fatal.