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WVU Prof Joins Team To Prevent Cholera Outbreak
By: Associated Press
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – A West Virginia University associate professor is part of a team trying to prevent a large outbreak of cholera in war-torn Yemen.
The university said in a news release that Anta Jutla is associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and is part of a British-led humanitarian team. Cholera is caused by consuming contaminated food or water. It can cause severe diarrhea and lead to dehydration and even death.
The university said Jutla and researchers from the University of Maryland have been working with NASA satellite data to develop a model to try to predict the distribution of pathogenic cholera bacteria.
The model was proven in 2017 to have a high accuracy rate in high-risk areas.
Last year, Yemen suffered more than 1 million suspected cases of cholera.