ADDIS ABABA, 1 September 2009 (IRIN) - Ethiopian health authorities have dedicated three hospitals in Addis Ababa to patients suffering from acute watery diarrhoea (AWD), according to a health official.

Thousands of people have been infected and 34 killed by the outbreak, says the Health Ministry. Ahmed Imano, head of public relations in the ministry, said there were fears it could escalate with the rains.

"If the people do not take extra care, the number of patients will increase and the outbreak will escalate," Ahmed told IRIN on 1 September. "The public should treat water before use."

The hospitals - Zweditu, Ras Desta and Yekatit - have set up tents to accommodate patients. So far, about 5,700 cases have been reported across the country, including 4,200 in the capital, over the past two weeks.

Some 27 died in 31 woredas (districts) outside Addis Ababa. "The fatality rate in Addis Ababa is 0.2 percent," Ahmed added.

He blamed the outbreak on poor sanitation and hygiene, as well as contaminated water. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diarrhoea is spread through contaminated food or drinking water or from person-to-person.

AWD is one of the three clinical types of diarrhoea, which can be caused by a variety of bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms.

"There are a number of diseases that causes diarrhoea; we [have] not identified which specific type of disease caused AWD," Ahmed said. "We are still studying that. Now our main focus is saving lives."

In a bid to contain the situation, residents of Addis Ababa have been advised to take precautionary measures such as frequent hand-washing, avoiding raw food and ensuring that drinking water is boiled, filtered and cooled before consumption, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"The number of hospitalized patients has dropped to 140," Ahmed said. "In the first week around 500 patients came to hospital."

Diarrhoeal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under five years old, killing 1.5 million every year, according to WHO.

irinnews