Reported by: Asma Awan, Program Coordinator International Medical Corps Eastern DRC
December 20, 2010 - In November Chantal, a 35-year-old mother of seven, was admitted to Swima Health Center in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is supported by International Medical Corps for emergency cholera treatment. Chantal is just one of the thousands of Congolese who have been affected by the recent cholera outbreak that has already caused 30 deaths.
Cholera, an acute intestinal infection contracted through contaminated food and water sources, causes watery diarrhea that can lead to severe dehydration and - if treatment is not quickly administered - death within the span of a few hours. The disease remains a threat in countries where access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation is compromised. In 2010 Nundu Health Zone in South Kivu province reported three major outbreaks of cholera. The fear is it will quickly spread to the neighboring territories of Uvira and Baraka.
International Medical Corps has been responding to the cholera epidemic in eastern DRC since April 2010, through the provision of health care services and critical supplies including antibiotics, oral rehydration salts and catheters. We are providing medicines to the 12 health centers we support as well as prepositioning medicines and supplies in Baraka and Uvira in the event the outbreak spreads.
However, due to a lack of funding, only one out of the 12 health centers supported by International Medical Corps in Nundu - Nundu General Hospital - is fully equipped to respond to cholera. We supplied vital cholera medicines to the hospital, which also offers lab facilities for testing and relatively good hygiene conditions to prevent the further spread of disease. But it does not have enough beds to accommodate the growing numbers of patients seeking emergency treatment in Nundu. Currently Chantal is fighting for her life at Swima Health Center where she is forced to lie on the floor because there is not enough space for her. Due to severe anemia and dehydration Chantal is not responding to cholera medicines and requires more advanced care but cannot be transferred to Nundu General due to lack of space.
Based on our findings from a November 2010 assessment, the health centers we support were found to be severely lacking in basic supplies and do not have the means to respond to the increased caseload of cholera patients requiring advanced medical care. Approximately 50 percent of those health centers cannot afford beds, plastic sheets and buckets and ongoing stocks of cholera medicines.
Exacerbating the spread of the disease: minimal access to health centers for isolated populations in eastern DRC; lack of awareness about cholera prevention; and the population’s low-income status. Approximately 30% of the local population is extremely isolated with the nearest health center located as much as 6 km from their homes, making them unable to reach lifesaving treatment in time. Still others do not know to seek treatment as soon as symptoms of cholera are detected. Although International Medical Corps is working to educate isolated communities about using health facilities and taking basic hygiene/sanitation measures at the household level to prevent waterborne disease, additional financial and human resource investment is needed to continue the programs.
International Medical Corps is one of the lead agencies in eastern DRC responding to primary health care needs by facilitating 42 health centers and three general hospitals in Uvira and Baraka territories. While International Medical Corps is actively implementing programs to combat an ongoing epidemic of sexual and gender-based violence, epidemics such as cholera and other waterborne diseases require equal and urgent attention and response.
International Medical Corps has extensive experience in cholera outbreak response, management, and prevention and is currently responding to the large-scale cholera outbreak in Haiti. Other recent cholera responses include Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Iraq. Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene are likewise top priorities, with water and sanitation programs currently operating in Haiti, Somalia, Kenya, and DRC.
For more information:
Margaret Aguirre
Director, Global Communications
maguirre@InternationalMedicalCorps.org
www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org
http://twitter.com/imc_worldwide
http://www.facebook.com/internationalmedicalcorps
Monday, December 20, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Alarming Child Mortality Rates in Parts of Southern Pakistan; International Medical Corps Deploying Teams to Reach Still-Flooded Areas In Dire Need of Medical Care
By Hadi Husani
December 13, 2010 - As floodwaters slowly recede across inundated areas of Pakistan, the international community and national authorities are discovering the true impact of this emergency. Given its flat terrain and semi-arid soil, significant parts of Sindh province in the south remain under water.
Dadu District in Sindh has been assessed as one of the worst affected. At the height of the emergency, tens of thousands of people there struggled to survive on small, isolated islands or "Bunds" scattered across a once-fertile plain. Only the sporadic distribution of food and basic supplies from the Pakistani military and the humanitarian community sustained the population in the months since flooding began.
With the ebbing of floodwaters, and the opening up of access routes to NGOs and the army, there are large pockets of flood-displaced populations that have received little or no support to date. In addition, initial assessments show alarming mortality rates of children under five in this district - as high as 25 percent. As the true scale of this "emergency within an emergency" becomes apparent, and new pockets of the displaced as well as new medical facilities become accessible, International Medical Corps is preparing to join the government of Pakistan and the World Health Organization in deploying emergency medical teams to meet the critical needs of the displaced in Dadu.
Following monsoon rains that have unleashed the worst flooding in Pakistan in 80 years, International Medical Corps continues to support displaced people through 104 medical teams serving the hardest hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Punjab and Sindh Province. We deliver health care to anywhere from 50 to 200 patients per day with approximately 367,980 total health consultations delivered since the flooding began in late July. International Medical Corps is also providing health and hygiene education, psychosocial outreach and nutrition and livelihoods programs.
International Medical Corps has been operating in Pakistan since 1984, providing primary health care services and water/sanitation facilities to displaced Pakistanis as well as to Afghan refugees in the frontier areas.
Since its inception 25 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster, and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning devastated populations to self-reliance.
For more information:
Margaret Aguirre
Director, Global Communications
maguirre@InternationalMedicalCorps.org
www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org
http://twitter.com/imc_worldwide
http://www.facebook.com/internationalmedicalcorps
December 13, 2010 - As floodwaters slowly recede across inundated areas of Pakistan, the international community and national authorities are discovering the true impact of this emergency. Given its flat terrain and semi-arid soil, significant parts of Sindh province in the south remain under water.
Dadu District in Sindh has been assessed as one of the worst affected. At the height of the emergency, tens of thousands of people there struggled to survive on small, isolated islands or "Bunds" scattered across a once-fertile plain. Only the sporadic distribution of food and basic supplies from the Pakistani military and the humanitarian community sustained the population in the months since flooding began.
With the ebbing of floodwaters, and the opening up of access routes to NGOs and the army, there are large pockets of flood-displaced populations that have received little or no support to date. In addition, initial assessments show alarming mortality rates of children under five in this district - as high as 25 percent. As the true scale of this "emergency within an emergency" becomes apparent, and new pockets of the displaced as well as new medical facilities become accessible, International Medical Corps is preparing to join the government of Pakistan and the World Health Organization in deploying emergency medical teams to meet the critical needs of the displaced in Dadu.
Following monsoon rains that have unleashed the worst flooding in Pakistan in 80 years, International Medical Corps continues to support displaced people through 104 medical teams serving the hardest hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Punjab and Sindh Province. We deliver health care to anywhere from 50 to 200 patients per day with approximately 367,980 total health consultations delivered since the flooding began in late July. International Medical Corps is also providing health and hygiene education, psychosocial outreach and nutrition and livelihoods programs.
International Medical Corps has been operating in Pakistan since 1984, providing primary health care services and water/sanitation facilities to displaced Pakistanis as well as to Afghan refugees in the frontier areas.
Since its inception 25 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster, and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning devastated populations to self-reliance.
For more information:
Margaret Aguirre
Director, Global Communications
maguirre@InternationalMedicalCorps.org
www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org
http://twitter.com/imc_worldwide
http://www.facebook.com/internationalmedicalcorps
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Taking on Polio in Democratic Republic of Congo with Mass Campaign to Immunize Children
By Jaya Vadlamudi, Senior Communications Officer, International Medical Corps
Following an outbreak of polio in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where a re-emergent strain of the paralyzing disease has struck over 60 people this year, International Medical Corps has helped launch a mass immunization campaign for children under five.
Polio, which is highly infectious and often strikes children, overtakes the nervous system and can cause paralysis within a matter of hours. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis – usually of the legs. Of those paralyzed, up to 10 percent die due to their breathing muscles being immobilized by the disease.
Lacking a known cure, polio was largely eradicated in Central Africa through the World Health Organization (WHO)-supported Global Polio Eradication Initiative established in 1988. As a result of mass immunization campaigns, polio decreased by 99 percent worldwide since 1988 but has seen a recent resurgence in Republic of Congo (which borders DRC to the west) where 324 cases have been reported as of November 9th. The disease is reported to have spread from the epicenter in Pointe Noir, Congo, to DRC where 63 cases were registered as of November 23rd. With no new cases of polio from 2000-2005, DRC had appeared to have eradicated polio - until the recent outbreak. Based on the explosive nature and high mortality rate of this particular outbreak, it is being considered a top international public health priority as the disease can easily spread across borders.
“All children have the same right to be protected from polio,” said UNICEF Representative in DRC, Pierrette Vu Thi. “Failure to translate this right into reality today will be expensive tomorrow, in terms of human lives and resources.”
As polio cannot be cured – only prevented – polio vaccines administered multiple times, can protect a child for life. Per the World Health Assembly’s 2006 resolution, three elements are pivotal to quickly averting the epidemic:
Having worked to deliver health care and training in DRC since 1999, International Medical Corps stands ready to support partners and local health networks in implementing a response to the recent outbreak and helping to promote efforts to eradicate polio globally.
In DRC, International Medical Corps provides health care, nutrition, food security, sexual and gender-based violence prevention and treatment, and water/sanitation services. In many remote areas of North and South Kivu Provinces, International Medical Corps is the only international NGO that has maintained a permanent presence. Today, International Medical Corps supports 85 health facilities in the DRC, including 41 in North Kivu, 42 in South Kivu, and two in Maniema. In total, International Medical Corps has served more than one million people in Congo, 80 percent of them displaced by war.
For more information:
Margaret Aguirre
Director, Global Communications
maguirre@InternationalMedicalCorps.org
www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org
http://twitter.com/imc_worldwide
http://www.facebook.com/internationalmedicalcorps
Following an outbreak of polio in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where a re-emergent strain of the paralyzing disease has struck over 60 people this year, International Medical Corps has helped launch a mass immunization campaign for children under five.
Polio, which is highly infectious and often strikes children, overtakes the nervous system and can cause paralysis within a matter of hours. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis – usually of the legs. Of those paralyzed, up to 10 percent die due to their breathing muscles being immobilized by the disease.
Lacking a known cure, polio was largely eradicated in Central Africa through the World Health Organization (WHO)-supported Global Polio Eradication Initiative established in 1988. As a result of mass immunization campaigns, polio decreased by 99 percent worldwide since 1988 but has seen a recent resurgence in Republic of Congo (which borders DRC to the west) where 324 cases have been reported as of November 9th. The disease is reported to have spread from the epicenter in Pointe Noir, Congo, to DRC where 63 cases were registered as of November 23rd. With no new cases of polio from 2000-2005, DRC had appeared to have eradicated polio - until the recent outbreak. Based on the explosive nature and high mortality rate of this particular outbreak, it is being considered a top international public health priority as the disease can easily spread across borders.
“All children have the same right to be protected from polio,” said UNICEF Representative in DRC, Pierrette Vu Thi. “Failure to translate this right into reality today will be expensive tomorrow, in terms of human lives and resources.”
As polio cannot be cured – only prevented – polio vaccines administered multiple times, can protect a child for life. Per the World Health Assembly’s 2006 resolution, three elements are pivotal to quickly averting the epidemic:
- Immediate, mass oral polio vaccine campaigns in areas where cases have been documented
- Mass, oral polio vaccine campaigns in areas bordering the current epidemic
- Heightened Acute Flaccid Paralysis surveillance in areas where cases have been documented & in neighboring areas
Having worked to deliver health care and training in DRC since 1999, International Medical Corps stands ready to support partners and local health networks in implementing a response to the recent outbreak and helping to promote efforts to eradicate polio globally.
In DRC, International Medical Corps provides health care, nutrition, food security, sexual and gender-based violence prevention and treatment, and water/sanitation services. In many remote areas of North and South Kivu Provinces, International Medical Corps is the only international NGO that has maintained a permanent presence. Today, International Medical Corps supports 85 health facilities in the DRC, including 41 in North Kivu, 42 in South Kivu, and two in Maniema. In total, International Medical Corps has served more than one million people in Congo, 80 percent of them displaced by war.
For more information:
Margaret Aguirre
Director, Global Communications
maguirre@InternationalMedicalCorps.org
www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org
http://twitter.com/imc_worldwide
http://www.facebook.com/internationalmedicalcorps
Friday, November 12, 2010
Cholera in Haiti - How You Can Help
To make a donation to International Medical Corps emergency response efforts in Haiti:
UPDATE FROM HAITI
Mobilizing local health teams, International Medical Corps has implemented four cholera treatment centers (CTC’s) at hospitals in Gonaives, Verrettes, St. Michel, and Ennery in Artibonite region, where patients are being administered IV solution, oral rehydration salts, and doxycycline to treat cholera and given water purification tablets. At all of these hospitals, International Medical Corps is also working to improve hospital waste management and infection control. International Medical Corps has trained five doctors and 31 nurses on cholera prevention, management, and treatment throughout the region and plans to expand the training to all nurses working in the four hospitals as well as staff working in the connected dispensaries and health centers.
In response to confirmed cholera cases in Port-au-Prince, International Medical Corps has mobilized existing primary health clinics in the city to offer cholera-related services. Our staff will administer oral rehydration salts and IVs as needed and provide referrals and transport critical cases. International Medical Corps is coordinating with partners in camps where it has clinics to implement community education campaigns on cholera prevention, identification, and treatment - and clinic staff are being trained in cholera treatment and management.
International Medical Corps was on the ground 22 hours after the January 12 , 2010 earthquake, and has been there since. Our teams of doctors and nurses provide life-saving medical care, and train community health care workers to support long term medical capacity building.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS
International Medical Corps has extensive experience in cholera outbreak response, management, and prevention, with its most recent responses in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Iraq. Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene are also one of its top organizational priorities, with such programs in countries including Haiti, Somalia, Kenya, and the DRC.
Since its inception nearly 25 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster, and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning devastated populations to self-reliance.
For more information:
www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org
http://twitter.com/imc_worldwide
http://www.facebook.com/internationalmedicalcorps
visit www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org, or
text HAITI to 85944
(Messaging and data rates may apply.)
text HAITI to 85944
(Messaging and data rates may apply.)
UPDATE FROM HAITI
Mobilizing local health teams, International Medical Corps has implemented four cholera treatment centers (CTC’s) at hospitals in Gonaives, Verrettes, St. Michel, and Ennery in Artibonite region, where patients are being administered IV solution, oral rehydration salts, and doxycycline to treat cholera and given water purification tablets. At all of these hospitals, International Medical Corps is also working to improve hospital waste management and infection control. International Medical Corps has trained five doctors and 31 nurses on cholera prevention, management, and treatment throughout the region and plans to expand the training to all nurses working in the four hospitals as well as staff working in the connected dispensaries and health centers.
In response to confirmed cholera cases in Port-au-Prince, International Medical Corps has mobilized existing primary health clinics in the city to offer cholera-related services. Our staff will administer oral rehydration salts and IVs as needed and provide referrals and transport critical cases. International Medical Corps is coordinating with partners in camps where it has clinics to implement community education campaigns on cholera prevention, identification, and treatment - and clinic staff are being trained in cholera treatment and management.
International Medical Corps was on the ground 22 hours after the January 12 , 2010 earthquake, and has been there since. Our teams of doctors and nurses provide life-saving medical care, and train community health care workers to support long term medical capacity building.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS
International Medical Corps has extensive experience in cholera outbreak response, management, and prevention, with its most recent responses in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Iraq. Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene are also one of its top organizational priorities, with such programs in countries including Haiti, Somalia, Kenya, and the DRC.
Since its inception nearly 25 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster, and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning devastated populations to self-reliance.
For more information:
www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org
http://twitter.com/imc_worldwide
http://www.facebook.com/internationalmedicalcorps
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