Afghan cholera epidemic thwarted by joint campaign
Sat 03 Oct 98 - 13:07 GMT

KABUL, Oct 3 (AFP) - A joint campaign by Taliban authorities, UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) had thwarted the outbreak of a cholera epidemic this summmer, health officials here said Saturday.

WHO spokesman Mohammad Daim Kakar said about 10 people had died from suspected cholera related diseases during recent months, which was well down from last year.

Definitive figures were unavailable.

"This year has been better. The suspected cases were better controlled than in previous years," Kakar told AFP.

Foreigners working for non-government organisations were effectively expelled by the Taliban after they defied a militia ruling to relocate to a delapidated compound on the outskirts of town.

However, Kakar said medical supplies deliberately left behind by US aid workers from Save the Children had made a healthy contribution in preventing a serious outbreak of the deadly disease.

A Taliban health spokesman said NGOs had anticipated a major outbreak simply because they had pulled-out, leaving the Taliban and locals in charge of health and sanitation.

"But thankfully, under the locals at WHO and UNICEF there was no outbreak," he said.