Cholera kills 10 in central Nigeria

A cholera outbreak has killed 10 people in central Nigeria's Plateau State over the past two weeks, a local health official said Wednesday. "We have recorded 10 deaths from the over 300 people infected with cholera in the last two weeks," Jacob Wangem, the official in the state health ministry, told AFP. He said the areas worst hit by the disease were the state capital Jos and Barkin-Ladi municipality. About 1,555 people died of cholera in Nigeria last year, according to the UN Children's Fund. Water and food contamination as well as poor sanitation were the likely causes of the outbreak, he said. Cholera is caused by a bacteria and transmitted through water or food that has typically been contaminated by human fecal matter. It causes serious diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to dehydration. It is easily treatable with rehydration salts and antibiotics. But with a short incubation period, it can be fatal if not treated in time.