Medinfo, the medical information consultancy, has issued a warning to travellers to and from Senegal, Zimbabwe and Ghana of disease outbreaks in those countries.

The consultancy said an outbreak of yellow fever has been reported in Senegal while deaths due to cholera had been verified in Zimbabwe and Ghana.

Twenty-four die of cholera in Zimbabwe

Cholera has claimed the lives of 24 people in Zimbabwe and two in Ghana in the last month.

"Twelve cases of yellow fever in the Mbake region have been officially confirmed by Senegal's Ministry of Health, together with the details of measures to control the outbreak - including a vaccination campaign and efforts to control the mosquito responsible for its spread, Medinfo said in a statement.

Highlighting the importance of vaccination

The yellow fever outbreak highlighted the importance of vaccination against the disease for travellers to and from yellow fever infected countries in Central and West Africa," said Dr Andrew Jamieson, medical director of the SAA-Netcare Travel Clinics network.

Jamieson said vaccination protected the inoculated individual from contracting the disease, and, equally important, yellow fever vaccination prevented inadvertent transmission of the disease by travellers returning from countries where yellow fever was endemic.

"By doing so, it prevents yellow fever from becoming endemic in other parts of the world, such as South Africa."

Situation under control says Zim government

Quoting published reports regarding the cholera outbreaks, Jamieson said that 458 cases of the contagious disease had been reported in Zimbabwe while 26 patients were confined to a hospital in Ghana over a single three-day period.

In Zimbabwe, the disease first broke out in the Chiredzana area of Masvingo; spreading to the Fuve area a week later.

Massive water and sanitation projects have been mobilised by the Zimbabwe government and Zimbabwe Red Cross Society.

According to the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, the most recent case of cholera in the region was reported during the last week of September - which would suggest that the situation is under control.

The cholera outbreak in the Kwahu South district of Ghana's Eastern Region, which began at the end of September, is the continuation of repeated incidents of the disease since 2000, when the supply of pipe-borne water to the afflicted region was cut off.

"Indeed, health authorities in the region have confirmed that poor sanitation and unsafe water supplies from unprotected, hand-dug wells are the primary causes for the outbreak," Medinfo said.

Measures to prevent spread

Urgent measures had been taken to curb the outbreak, including education campaigns on personal hygiene. The local population had been advised to drink only pipe-borne water; and to boil water from other sources prior to using it for cooking or drinking.

Emphasis had also been placed on ensuring that food was not exposed to flies and that waste matter was disposed of properly.

In addition, the availability of vaccination was advertised. "Both yellow fever and cholera are acute and highly infectious diseases," Jamieson said. "However, infection with either disease is preventable through appropriate vaccination and hygiene measures."