Italy has delivered health care kits and water treatment equipment to the health ministry of Niger, where a cholera outbreak has already caused 57 deaths, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
The regions of Niger most affected by the cholera outbreak are Maradi, Zinder Tahoua and Dosso, according to the foreign ministry.
As part its overseas aid programme, Italy has made six donations to Niger in recent months including healthcare materials, equipment for water purification and treatment and emergency kits for surgical and trauma patients.
Italy has also supplied materials to treat the most widespread diseases including malaria, cholera and gastrointestinal disorders, and has distributed 4,000 mosquito nets to help prevent malaria spreading, the foreign ministry stated.
"The donation of medicines and medical materials, in response to the request expressed by Niger, is a concrete example of Italy’s support for the health sector in Niger and is part of a broader framework for strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries," said Italy’s ambassador to Niger, Marco Prencipe.
Niger's health minister Idi Illiassou Mainassara thanked Italy for its growing contribution to improving public health in the poverty-stricken West African country.
"Once again, Italy has supported the efforts that the Nigerien authorities are making to combat the cholera epidemic," Mainassara said during a ceremony to mark the arrival of the materials at Niamey airport aboard a flight organised by the Italian Air Force.
The first reported case of cholera occurred in the Maradi region and the disease then spread to the Zinder, Tahoua and Dosso regions, Mainassara said.
