The meeting in France

Health leaders from around the world have made their first global promise to end cholera by 2030. Their pledge comes after the alarming situation created in Yemen, where the epidemic has erupted at record levels. According to health officials, infection can be easily treated with adequate medical equipment.

Health officials from around the world have gathered in France to engage in preventing 90% of deaths from cholera by 2030.

The disease that spreads through contaminated water takes an estimated 100,000 lives each year.

This is the first time governments, the World Health Organisation, relief agencies and donors make such a pledge.

The movement comes at a time when Yemen fights one of the worst cholera explosions in history.

The disease has spread to war - torn countries because of the worsening conditions of hygiene and water shortages.

More than 770,000 people have been infected with this disease and 2,000 have lost their lives, most of them children.

Colera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by food consumption or contaminated water with the Vibrio curera bacteria.

It can easily spread in conditions of lack of hygiene. The infection can be treated lightly and cheaply with adequate medical equipment, and it can be avoided if people have access to clean water and adequate sanitation.

Some 2 billion people worldwide are potentially endangered by cholera, according to the World Health Organization.

The health agency identifies poor health systems and not yet catching infection as factors that contribute to the rapid spread of the epidemic.

/Oranews.tv/