Focus water, sanitation investments on cholera risk zones, aid groups say

"Aid groups are urging donors to invest in water and sanitation in areas known as hotbeds for cholera," saying "while such projects might directly affect a relatively small population, the indirect impact in terms of cholera reduction could be immense," IRIN reports. "The call comes as [non-governmental organizations (NGOs)], donors, and governments study lessons learned from one of the severest cholera outbreaks in years -- a Guinea-Sierra Leone cross-border epidemic which broke out in coastal areas, where there is no access to clean water, then exploded in the capitals," the news service continues. The article includes comments from representatives of the European Union aid agency ECHO, the group Action Against Hunger (ACF), and the U.K.'s Department for International Development (DFID), as well as a local medical officer in Sierra Leone. Christophe Valingot of ECHO said, "The identification of risk zones allows us to say, OK, we've got to invest here if we want to have an impact on cholera," according to IRIN (1/25).