NewsNet: Combating cholera

In 1912, a French newspaper personified cholera as a shrouded, scythe-wielding skeleton.

Cholera probably killed U.S. President James K. Polk in 1849, shortly after he left office. This fierce water-borne disease was a major public health menace during the 19th and early 20th centuries, causing widespread death"and mass panic"around the world, including in cities like London, New York and Paris.

Today, due in large part to the broad accessibility of clean water and adequate sanitation, cholera is rarely a threat in the industrialized world.

But the disease still stalks developing countries where safe water and proper sanitation remain luxuries for many people. Over the last few months, the tiny nation of Guinea-Bissau in western Africa has been battling a cholera epidemic that has rapidly spread across the country.

UNICEF quickly stepped in to help Guinea-Bissau fight the disease, mobilizing funds and leading the initiative to disinfect the country's water systems in affected areas. In addition to managing contaminated human waste and distributing critical hygiene and sanitation products, such as soap and bleach, UNICEF is also backing a public information campaign that emphasizes disease prevention and proper hygiene.

In 1912, a French newspaper personified cholera as a shrouded, scythe-wielding skeleton.

Cholera probably killed U.S. President James K. Polk in 1849, shortly after he left office. This fierce water-borne disease was a major public health menace during the 19th and early 20th centuries, causing widespread death"and mass panic"around the world, including in cities like London, New York and Paris.

Today, due in large part to the broad accessibility of clean water and adequate sanitation, cholera is rarely a threat in the industrialized world.

But the disease still stalks developing countries where safe water and proper sanitation remain luxuries for many people. Over the last few months, the tiny nation of Guinea-Bissau in western Africa has been battling a cholera epidemic that has rapidly spread across the country.

UNICEF quickly stepped in to help Guinea-Bissau fight the disease, mobilizing funds and leading the initiative to disinfect the country's water systems in affected areas. In addition to managing contaminated human waste and distributing critical hygiene and sanitation products, such as soap and bleach, UNICEF is also backing a public information campaign that emphasizes disease prevention and proper hygiene.

The epidemic"and efforts to contain it"received a moderate amount of news attention, including these recent stories in IRIN and Agence France Presse. Last month, The Voice of America published this report, which quotes UNICEF Guinea-Bissau's Sylvana Nzirorera.

BACKGROUND NOTE: An acute infection of the small intestine, cholera is a fast-acting disease that can induce extreme diarrhea and severe dehydration. If left untreated, it can quickly lead to death"sometimes in a matter of hours. People get the disease when they ingest water or food that is contaminated with bacteria called Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria usually come from the human waste of those who have already been infected"which is why cholera flourishes in places without adequate sanitation.

UNICEF/ HQ07-1793/Christine Nesbitt

ANGOLA: Women mix and pour a chlorine "mother solution" to distribute to a queue of mothers, to prevent their children from getting cholera. UNICEF has distributed the mother solution, oral rehydration salts, water purification tablets, soap, child-friendly water dispensers and other essential water-treatment and hygiene supplies, and has provided collapsible water tanks and supported water trucking and storage in vulnerable communities. UNICEF is also supporting the establishment of cholera treatment centers and health-staff training in cholera diagnosis; has helped provide public service messages on cholera awareness and prevention; and has supported the establishment of contingency plans for disease outbreaks.

UNICEF has recently helped combat cholera in many other countries, including Iraq, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Angola. Among the many key interventions UNICEF supports to curb this terrifying disease are Oral Rehydration Salts"a simple mix of salts and sugars that, when given with zinc, can help prevent death from dehydration. UNICEF also fights cholera by helping communities gain access to safe water; chlorinating wells; distributing water purification tablets, family water kits, and soap; and supporting initiatives to educate people about proper hygiene.

The most important weapons in the battle against cholera are the most basic. Ensuring adequate sanitation and proper hygiene, including hand-washing with soap, can prevent the disease.

In May, as part of a U.S. Fund for UNICEF delegation, I visited a UNICEF-supported cholera treatment center in southern Angola. Patients lay on cots inside two long, low tents. A young mother sat on a cot with her one-year-old daughter. The girl had been vomiting and suffering from diarrhea, her mother said. Panicked, she brought her daughter to the center, where staff diagnosed the child with cholera. After receiving treatment, the baby improved and became as alert and fidgety as any one-year-old should be.

Have you read about recent cholera outbreaks? Have you followed UNICEF's efforts to combat the disease? Let me know.