A cholera epidemic that began in Nigeria has spread to Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. In Chad nearly 40 people have died, and 600 are reported sick. Cameroon reports 7013 cases and 458 deaths. In Yobe State, Nigeria treatment facilities are overwhelmed with patients being treated on bare floors and plastic mats. Over half of the patients are children under the age of 10 that contracted cholera by drinking from contaminated wells and ponds. The Ministry of Health in Nigeria continues to distribute drugs and intravenous fluids in an effort to halt the spread of the epidemic.
