Panic continued in Algeria following reports of newly detected cases of cholera in spite of the governments attempts to reassure citizens on the eradication of the disease within days. Algerian Minister of Health, Population and Hospital Reform Mokhtar Hasbellaoui asserted that the Cholera epidemic will be eradicated in just three days. He assured the public that the ministry would do all in power to eliminate cholera in the coming days and before the start of the new school year. The government was expected to hold a session to discuss recent developments of cholera reemergence and the health minister was to give a detailed presentation on the issue. The Minister estimated the total number of suspected cases which arrived at hospitals at 147 cases from five provinces. The laboratory tests affirmed that infection of only 49 confirmed cases, he said. Hasbellaoui added that the ministry had conducted examinations for samples from 38 water sources across the state to discover the source of the infection. The ministry confirmed two cholera cases which resulted in the death of citizens in Blida. It specified that the highest number of cholera-affected cases was recorded in Blida province, and other cases were found in the capital Algiers, and the provinces of Tipaza and Bouira. However, local press reported that a suspicious case had been recorded in the eastern province of Batna of a military man who had moved to the capital on a work mission over the past few days. The Ministry of Health has identified the source of the disease as water reservoir located west of Algiers, specifically in the village of Sidi el-Kebir. Local authorities closed the reservoir as a precautionary measure pending the necessary analysis. However, a number of local residents have disputed the reservoir was a source of the epidemic, pointing out that they have been consuming water from it for decades now and nothing had previously happened. Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if untreated. It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae. The disease is most common in places with poor sanitation, crowding, war, and famine. The Ministry of Health issued a statement recommending that citizens respect hygiene measures, namely "washing their hands thoroughly, rinsing fruits and vegetables before consumption, and refraining from visiting cholera patients in hospitals.”