[Cholera epidemics in Mali between 1995 and 2004].

Introduction: Cholera represents a public health problem in developing countries like Mali.

Aim: This work aims to describe the characteristics of the cholera epidemics which occurred in Mali between 1995 and 2004.

Method: A retrospective survey was conducted within the Division of the fight against the diseases of epidemic potential and the Institute of Public Health and Research of the Ministry of Health of Mali. Individual medical records tracking the follow-up of patients as well as the registers of these structures were used as sources to collect data for the study.

Results: There were 12,176 cases of cholera recorded, including 1,406 deaths, from 1995 to 2004. Cholera outbreaks in Mali have been a regular occurrence every year since 2001. The regions of Mopti and Segou seem to be the most impacted by these epidemics. The lethal rates were higher than 1% at the time of each of these epidemics during this period. Vibrio cholerae O: 1, biotype El Tor were responsible for the epidemics, and the serotype Ogawa was prevalent.

Conclusion: Cholera epidemics have been constant in Mali since the beginning of the 21st century in spite of the efforts which have been made to prevent and control them. A rigorous analysis of the factors which support this persistence and appropriate measures are essential to reverse cholera in this country.