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Brussels - "My people. Runny stomach is in town again. Wash your hands. Wash your hands..." These are the opening lines of a cholera song commissioned by MSF and the Liberian Ministry of Health and aired on popular radio stations in Liberia. The aim is to explain to the population how to prevent infection.
Increasing public awareness is one component of the comprehensive operation by MSF in response to a large-scale outbreak of cholera in Liberia’s capital city.
Two years after the end of the country’s civil war, the cholera outbreak shows how the Liberian population continues to be vulnerable to a disease that is directly linked to poor living conditions. A lack of drinking water, sanitation facilities and health structures in urban Monrovia create ideal conditions for water-born diseases to spread easily. Today the cholera outbreak in Monrovia is at its peak.
The cholera treatment unit (CTU) managed by MSF in JFK hospital is the only centre in the city for treating infected people. "During the past 20 days, we have treated close to 450 people suffering from cholera; since the start of the outbreak we have sees already 2,600 cases," said Stephan Goetghebuer, West Africa Coordinator for MSF, from Monrovia.
"In spite of heavy rains the number of new admissions is no longer increasing. Some cases are reported also in Sinoe county, south of the capital, and we have sent a team to assess the situation. The road is in very bad condition, making it hard for the team to reach the area, but we expect their first report in the coming days."
Cholera is a communicable disease that is transmitted through contaminated water and food. If not treated, the mortality rate can be between 25% and 50%. The disease is endemic in Monrovia, but the outbreak this year is particularly bad.
A high number of cholera cases come from one of the poorest areas of Monrovia. Bushrod Island, north of Mesurado River, was the scene of the heaviest fighting in July 2003, that further ruined the already fragile facilities. This was shown during the first three weeks of September when no water was available for Bushrod Island’s Redemption hospital, the only public health facility in Monrovia.
Overcrowding, lack of safe drinking water, lack of garbage removal, latrines and basic hygiene conditions make this area one of the most hazardous places in Monrovia.
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