Ukraine: Mariupol At Risk Of Major Cholera Outbreak

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, all but destroyed by weeks of shelling and now under Russian control, is at risk of a major cholera outbreak.

Much of the city’s infrastructure is damaged or destroyed and water has mixed with sewage, according to the UN.

Cholera is usually caught by eating or drinking contaminated food or water and is closely linked to poor sanitation.

Uncollected dead bodies and rubbish add to the unsanitary conditions.

There have been outbreaks of the disease in Mariupol before, and isolated cases have been reported in the past month.

The city’s Ukrainian mayor, Vadym Boychenko told BBC Ukrainian that “cholera, dysentery and other infectious diseases are already in the city”, and that the city has been closed off to avoid a larger outbreak.

The claims cannot be verified by the BBC, and the Russian-appointed mayor says regular testing takes place and no cases of cholera have been recorded.

Ukraine’s health ministry said it has limited access to information from Mariupol, but has conducted testing in Ukraine-held territory and not uncovered any cases.

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Earlier this week, the UN said that water had mixed with sewage in Mariupol, increasing the risk of a cholera outbreak. The Red Cross has warned that the destruction to sanitation infrastructure had set the ground for the spread of water-borne diseases.

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