Benin Cholera profil

Cholera Background History:

The first cholera outbreak in Benin was reported when the current pandemic hit the African continent in 1970. Major outbreaks occurred in 1991, 1996 and 2001 and since then there has been yearly occurrence of less than 1000 cases/year.Between 1991 and 2001, three major outbreaks occurred of which the largest one was in 1991 with 7 474 cases and 259 deaths (case fatality rate of 3.47%). In 1996, 6 190 cases and 203 deaths were reported (CFR 3.28%).
In 2001, an outbreak accounting for 3 943 cases and 71 deaths (CFR 1.8%) was recorded. The outbreak started in July in the department of Borgou which reported 732 cases and 43 deaths during the first 3 weeks. The epidemic further spread in the departments of Zou (18 cases between 30 July and 5 August 2001) and Atlantique.

 From 2005 to 2012, the number of reported cases varied from 74 to 983 cases.
In 2005, between 1 January and 13 November, a total of 749 cases including 11 deaths (CFR 1.46%) were reported from 5 departments out of 12: Atlantique, Littoral, Mono, Ouémé and Zou. The outbreak started in Cotonou in June. By August it had spread to the department of Ouémé and by September Zou was also affected. Cotonou and its closest department Atlantique reported most of the cases (510), Zou reported 106 cases, Mono and Ouémé reported respectively 17 and 73 cases with no death.

In 2006, Benin reported 91 cases and 1 death (CFR of 1.1%) in the south of the country (departments of Mono, Atlantique and Ouémé) and in 2007, no cholera case was reported. During 2008, Benin reported 985 cases including 5 deaths, (CFR 0.51%). As of 15 September, Atlantique department reported 469c and 2d, and 20 cases were reported in Ouémé.

In 2009, Benin reported 74 cases including 1 death from the commune of Athiémé in the Mono department.

In 2010, Benin reported a total of 983 cases including 8 deaths. Those cases occurred during one outbreak in Ouémé in January and two outbreaks in Atlantique from January to mid-April and from end of June to the end of the year.
As of 25 December 2011, Benin reported 773 cases including 4 deaths (CFR 0.52%). Most cases were reported from the Atlantique department (communes of Allada and So-Ava) and Littoral department (Cotonou II). Borgou (66) and Zou (15) also reported cases. (see map and graph)

In 2012, Benin reported 625 cases including 3 deaths in the following departments: Atakora (30%), Atlantique (2%), Mono (15%), Ouémé (19%) and Zou (32%) between the beginning of July and the beginning of December 2012.
From 2005 to 2012, Atlantique and Ouémé departments have been the most frequently affected.

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