Cholera, drought and floods hit PNG's East Sepik province

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Updated February 8, 2010 16:17:07

Health authorities in Papua New Guinea's East Sepik province say cholera is spreading through the province 'like wildfire', and that a prolonged dry-spell is making things worse. Fresh water sources in the province are drying up, leaving people with no alternative but to use water from the Sepik River, which has been contaminated with cholera since November. At least 16 people have died in East Sepik alone since Papua New Guinea's first cholera outbreak in decades began in September. Aid agencies like Oxfam have been working with the government to hand out rainwater buckets and tanks, but without enough rain, these items are useless.

Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker: Andrew Rankin, Oxfam PNG, East Sepik

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