AmeriCares and icddr,b have launched a new cholera-fighting program in the Horn of Africa, where recent rains have increased fears of large-scale outbreaks. The two organizations began by training 50 doctors and nurses in cholera prevention and treatment this week. The health professionals -- half in Mogadishu, Somalia, and half in Dadaab, Kenya -- learned cholera management techniques they will teach other local health workers in upcoming months to increase preparedness. Every year, as many as five million cholera cases worldwide cause more than 100,000 deaths. The waterborne disease poses a great danger in refugee camps like those in Dadaab because it spreads rapidly in areas with poor sanitation and overcrowding, and can kill the sickest patients in as little as 10 to 12 hours.
The health workers were trained to diagnose and treat cholera, control infection and offer preventive education as part of a joint Global Cholera Preparedness program that icddr,b and AmeriCares announced at the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting. The commitment, designed to save lives during cholera outbreaks, combines AmeriCares medical supplies and emergency response experience with icddr,b's technical expertise in the treatment of cholera and other diarrheal diseases.
In addition to training, the commitment includes the formation of assessment and diagnostic teams that can be deployed rapidly in the event of an outbreak, prepositioned kits with medicines and supplies to treat 15,000 patients with cholera and acute watery diarrhea (AWD), and the establishment of a model training and treatment center to reinforce best practices for managing a large-scale cholera outbreak.
"A proactive approach to fighting cholera goes beyond treating patients," said AmeriCares President and CEO Curt Welling. "By prepositioning supplies and increasing local capacity, we can save even more lives."