Cholera epidemic hits Mali's Gao

There is an outbreak of cholera in the city of Gao in eastern Mali according to a statement released by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

According to experts the main reason for the spread of the disease is a lack of clean drinking water.
The city has already registered 22 cases of cholera and at least 2 people have died.

According to the UN, more than 60% of 70,000 people who make up the population of Gao, have no access to clean drinking water.
Part of the city is completely devoid of water because of a lack of electricity and pump failures.

The main source of water for the city of Gao remains the Niger River and it is infected threatening the situation to turn into a disaster.