The death toll from the cholera outbreak in Mali's Gao region has reached 2 while 20 patients are in need of urgent medical attention, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). In a statement released by UNICEF on Wednesday, the agency pointed out that this is the first appearance of the disease in Mali since the beginning of the rainy season. The Malian Health Ministry, UNICEF and its partners have reinforced aid to the affected communities in the district of Ansongo in Gao, Mali's largest northern region. Authorities have also intensified sensitization campaigns to curb the spread of the disease, Xinhua quoted the statement as saying. "We must act first, together, or the disease will continue to claim more lives of children who are the most vulnerable," said the UNICEF president in Mali, Francoise Ackermans. The statement noted that cholera is a disease that is caused by poor hygiene and poor sanitation, and could be contracted through eating contaminated foods or drinking dirty water.
