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UK says Ukraine’s Mariupol city is at risk of Cholera outbreak
In this photo, Russian missiles targeted maternity and children's hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine (File photo: Euromaidan Press)

Britain’s defense ministry said on Friday (June 10) that Ukraine’s southern city of Mariupol is at risk of a major cholera outbreak as medical services are likely already near collapse.

There is likely also a critical shortage of medicines in Kherson, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in a Twitter update.

It added that Russia is struggling to provide basic public services to the population in Russian-occupied territories.

Last month, WHO’s Ukraine Incident Manager, Dorit Nitzan, said Mariupol, which is now controlled by Russian forces after weeks of siege and heavy bombardment, was among occupied areas where there was a risk of cholera.

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Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera.

It is an extremely virulent disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea.

It takes between 12 hours and 5 days for a person to show symptoms after ingesting contaminated food or water and affects both children and adults and can kill within hours if untreated.

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