ADDIS ABABA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- An acute watery diarrhea (AWD) outbreak in northern Ethiopia has left 12 people dead, state media reported on Wednesday.
At least 165 others are recovering from the effects of the AWD outbreak, which is concentrated in Ethiopia's Amhara regional state, Amhara Mass Media Agency said.
On Tuesday, an Ethiopian federal government official said a medical team has been dispatched to AWD-affected areas of Amhara regional state.
Beyene Moges, deputy director general of Ethiopia Public Health Institute, said federal, regional and zonal officials are working together to control the outbreak, but the efforts have been hampered by the remoteness of the areas affected by the suspected cases of AWD as well as poor mobile phone and road networks.
With the rainy season expected to start in June and continue until the middle of September, the Ethiopian government is trying to contain the AWD outbreak by improving hygienic conditions in factories, health facilities, agricultural areas and eateries.
