AlHijjah 20, 1432, Nov 16, 2011, SPA -- The UN refugee agency said on Tuesday there has been an outbreak of cholera in Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp in Kenya, which is believed to have started among new arrivals who had most likely acquired it in Somalia or en route to the camp. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the situation in Dadaab, home to Somalis fleeing famine and conflict, is being exacerbated by heavy rains and accompanying risks of waterborne diseases. "Rains and flooding had affected the trucking of water to parts of the camps, and we fear some refugees resorted to using unsafe water from flooded areas," Xinhua quoted the UN refugee agency as saying in a statement released in Nairobi. According to UNHCR, there are now 60 cases in the camps, including 10 laboratory-confirmed cases and one refugee death. To manage the outbreak, UNHCR and partners have set up cholera treatment centers for severe cases, it said.
