We get Cholera through ingestion (eating/drinking) of contaminated food or water.

We recommend that we all adopt the following measures IMMEDIATELY:

• Hygiene, in particular:
  • Washing hands thoroughly with soap and clean water before touching food or water and after using the toilet.
  • Eating warm food. Avoid food prepared in ‘suspicious’ surroundings
  • Taking extreme caution when preparing food - especially seafood, vegetables and fruits
  • Desisting from communal eating and sharing of cups, plates, etc.
  • Ensuring that food vendors cover their products appropriately, and encouraging them to undergo their routine health screening.**
• Proper refuse disposal. For instance:
  • All refuse should be well covered
  • Indiscriminate defecation should be avoided (can you imagine how faeces may leak into burst pipelines?)
• Provision of potable drinking water
  • All water storage containers should be tightly covered
  • Drinking water should be boiled and filtered (boiled, at least), and allowed to cool before drinking or drink bottled or sachet water from reliable sources.

We all have a role to play in preventing outbreaks of cholera. Let us ensure personal and environmental hygiene; encourage others to do the same; and task the appropriate authorities to provide the necessary services.

** We highly recommend that everyone eats from a trustworthy source.