The United Nations has approved the allocation of 1.7 million U.S. dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the urgent response to the cholera outbreak in Cameroon, UN officials in Cameroon said in a statement on Tuesday.

“This CERF grant will enable the humanitarian partners to contribute to reducing cholera-related mortality and curb the spread of the disease, saving numerous lives,” said Olivier Beer, the Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for Cameroon.

“The humanitarian actors are mobilized to support the cholera response. However, access to remote areas remains challenging as violence, movements impediments and poor condition of roads continue to hamper the humanitarian assistance in the region,” added Karen Perrin, the Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Cameroon.

The project will provide emergency assistance in case management, water, hygiene, and sanitation to communities affected by the cholera epidemic in the Southwest and Littoral regions of the country, according to the UN.

As of May 29, Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health had recorded 8,241 cases and 154 deaths in seven regions.

The Southwest region, which is already facing acute humanitarian needs due to violence, remains the most affected by the cholera outbreak with 5,628 cases and 90 deaths, followed by the Littoral with 2,208 cases and 58 deaths, the UN said.

Source: Xinhuanet