PHA-Exch> Global, National efforts must be urgently intensified to control Zimbabwe cholera outbreak

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Paul Garwood PazvakavambwaB at zw.afro.who.int

GLOBAL, NATIONAL EFFORTS MUST BE URGENTLY INTENSIFIED TO CONTROL ZIMBABWE
CHOLERA OUTBREAK       excerpt

30 JANUARY ¦ GENEVA -- Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak, one of the world's
largest ever recorded, is far from being brought under control and an
enhanced response is needed to urgently reverse an epidemic that has so far
infected more than 60,000 people and killed more than 3,100 since August
2008.

"The World Health Organization and other international and local partners
are supporting the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare's (MoHCW) efforts to
control the epidemic. But unless drastic action is taken by all players in
this crisis, more Zimbabweans will succumb to the outbreak, and other
countries in the southern African region will face the continued threat of
spill over epidemics," said Dr Eric Laroche, Assistant Director-General for
WHO's Health Action in Crises Cluster.

Urgent measures needed in Zimbabwe include:
• Increasing awareness, particularly at grassroots level, regarding
prevention and treatment measures. Most recorded deaths have occurred at
home, which means that more effective messaging directed at all communities,
particularly the remotest parts of the country, is crucial for the
Zimbabwean public to be best prepared to act against the epidemic.
• Making available more medicines, particularly Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS)
and chlorine tablets, at community level so health care workers, and
ordinary people themselves, have the means to quickly treat cases of cholera
that emerge. One of the greatest challenges is ensuring people can access
health services. As this is not possible for many people, due to limited
access to transport or money to pay for the trip to the health facility,
stocks of simple yet life-saving supplies, such as ORS and chlorine tablets,
must be provided to each community.
• Mobilizing resources to pay thousands of Zimbabwean doctors, nurses and
other health staff who have been unable to obtain salaries and have not had
enough money for basic needs, such as buying a bus ticket to get to work.
This vacuum in availability of national health staff is a prime factor in
the increasing number of cholera sufferers dying.
• Opening access to more nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to respond to
the cholera outbreak in more areas of the country. Currently, NGOs, such as
Médecins Sans Frontières, are operating large numbers of cholera treatment
centres and units in areas where other support, including government, is not
available. Such activities must be promoted so to increase access to health
care, particularly at district level.
• Strengthening the multisectoral response being provided by all players -
United Nations, NGOs, governments and donors - is vital. More effort is
needed in multiple areas, including improved case management, water and
sanitation, social mobilization, provision of financial resources to health
providers operating in Zimbabwe, and increasing health staff in the field.
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