Submission ID 131501
| Issue/Objective | Cholera disease remains a lingering public health concern in Rumonge Health District. The area is regularly affected by cholera outbreaks despite control measures that are periodically taken each time the outbreak occurs. The latest outbreak started later in 2018 and ended in February 2019, with a cumulative of 234 cases, and one death. This study aimed to identify the risk factors that are associated with the recurrence of cholera outbreak in Rumonge Health District. |
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| Methodology/Approach | From 5 March 2021 to 30 April 2021, we conducted an unmatched case-control study (1:2) in 150 households. Cholera cases were drawn from the admission register of cholera patients at Rumonge referral hospital. Stratified proportional allocation sampling followed by simple random selection were used to select the cases. Afterwards, we visited the households of the selected cases and controls that were chosen in the neighborhood of the cases. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was administered to the head of each household to collect sociodemographic, water, sanitation, and hygiene practice data. |
| Results | A multivariate analysis revealed that drinking lake/river water (OR=3.6 [1.46-8.87]), utilizing untreated water for domestic purposes (OR=5.2 [1.31-20.59]), consuming unwashed raw fruit (OR=2.9 [1.08-7.97]), eating without washing hands with soap (OR=3.2 [1.30-8.29]) and improper washing of hands after defecation (OR=2.7 [1.10-6.84]) were predictors of cholera outbreaks in Rumonge Health District over the 2019 outbreak. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | The study revealed that drinking lake or river water, using untreated water for domestic purposes, consuming unwashed raw fruits, eating without washing hands with soap, and improper handwashing after defecation were all strongly associated with increased risk of cholera. We recommend a community-based approach through the provision of safe water, strengthened hygiene education, and integrated WASH interventions in Rumonge Health District. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Emile Nkurunziza The House of Statistics Emile Nkurunziza The House of Statistics |
