Nepal earthquake survivors at risk of cholera outbreak, warns World Vision

Monday, July 20, 2015

Cholera rates in earthquake-affected Nepal are likely to spike sharply, putting children’s lives at risk, if urgent measures aren’t taken to reverse the escalating risk, aid agency World Vision said today. 

Districts that were devastated by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25, including Sindhupalchowk, Kathmandu Valley and the quake-epicentre of Gorkha, are known cholera hotspots and have reported early cases of the deadly disease.

“Conditions in Nepal are a perfect storm for cholera, with poor shelter and sanitation combining with monsoonal rains,” said Anthea Spinks, World Vision Australia’s head of Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs. 

“Earthquake survivors are currently enduring Nepal’s rainy season while sleeping in cramped conditions under tarpaulins and tents – if rates of acute watery diarrhoea in these areas continue to rise, we could be facing a serious outbreak within weeks. 

“We’re deeply concerned for those at risk of cholera, particularly children under the age of five. For them, this disease can be fatal, if they’re not treated quickly.” 

Cholera outbreaks are common in Nepal during the monsoon season, which begins in June and ends in September, particularly in the warmer southern regions of the country that border with India. 

However it’s feared that cholera rates could rise this year due to appalling living conditions in earthquake-affected areas - up to 90 per cent of health posts have been partially or completely destroyed; many toilets and hygiene facilities are unusable, with communities resorting to open defecation, and countless homes are now unliveable. 

The Government of Nepal is leading the response, with help from partners including World Vision. In a bid to limit a potential cholera outbreak, World Vision is:

  • Educating communities on proper sanitisation and hand washing at the Women & Young Children’s Spaces in earthquake-hit areas
  • Distributing water purification aquatabs that help reduce occurrence of cholera and other water-borne diseases
  • Supplying medical equipment to health posts
  • Improving access to clean water by rehabilitating damaged water and sanitation facilities
  • Distributing tents to health workers and baby hygiene kits

More funds are urgently needed to reach vulnerable communities in remote areas, promoting prevention measures and preparation for a potential outbreak.

ENDS

Media contact: Kayla Robertson, Media Officer (Emergencies) on 0418 762 926 or kayla.robertson@worldvision.com.au

Notes:

  • Twelve weeks on from the first of the two major earthquakes in Nepal, people in six farming districts in the north of the country are struggling with the heavy monsoonal rains dumping water relentlessly on mountain slopes already loosened by the quakes and many aftershocks.
  • These areas bore the brunt of the devastation, with one district where World Vision is operating, Sindhupalchowk, accounting for four out of 10 of the more than 8800 people killed in the disaster and up to 90 per cent of homes damaged.
  •  World Vision’s response team has already reached more than 96,000 people in seven districts including Sindhulpalchwork, Sindhuli, Lamjung, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Gorkha.
  • To address urgent housing needs, 28,748 tarpaulins and 25,506 galvanized iron sheets were distributed.
  • Thirty-five child-friendly spaces and 15 temporary learning centres were attended by more than 5,000 children.

 

Media Releases, Asia and the Pacific, Anthea Spinks, Cholera, Emergencies, Nepal earthquake

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