UNITED NATIONS: Health Experts at the United Nations have cautioned that Cholera, a 19th-century disease, may make a devastating comeback after years of its decline.
In a new alert, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that more countries are now facing outbreaks, and increasing numbers of diseases have been reported.
Head of UNICEF’s Public Health Emergency unit Jerome Pfaffmann Zambruni stated, “The pandemic is killing the poor right in front of us.”
According to WHO data, 15 countries had reported cases by May of last year, but by mid-May of this year, “we already have 24 countries reporting, and we anticipate more with the seasonal shift in cholera cases,” said Henry Grey, WHO’s Incident Manager for the global cholera response. This data confirms the gloomy outlook.
“Despite improvements in disease control made in previous decades, we risk going backwards,” the statement reads.
According to the UN health organization, 43 countries and one billion people are at risk of Cholera, with young children being the most vulnerable.
The extraordinarily high mortality ratio of Cholera is alarming now. Nigeria and Malawi registered case fatality rates as high as three percent this year, well above the acceptable one percent.
Infections are expanding throughout Southeastern Africa, particularly in Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The change comes after Cyclone Freddy’s destructive passage in February and March of this year, which led to the internal displacement of 800,000 people in Malawi and Mozambique and disrupted healthcare.
Cholera, a disease that may be prevented and flourishes in regions with heavy rains and flooding, poses a severe threat to these vulnerable communities.
The two UN agencies concurred that the disease had expanded due to a deadly combination of climate change, underinvestment in water, sanitation, and hygiene services, and, in specific cases, armed conflict.
Although vaccines to protect against Cholera exist, the supply is insufficient to meet the ever-increasing demand. According to the WHO, 18 million doses of vaccines have been requested worldwide, but only eight million have been provided.
Gray said, “Increasing the production is not an overnight solution. The plan is to double the current production of vaccines by 2025, but we won’t have enough if the current trend remains the same. Vaccines can be a tool but not an overall solution. Long-term investment in water sanitation is our priority.”
UNICEF echoed WHO’s call to action. We need to make short-term and long-term investments in the water system, according to Zambruni, to guarantee access to clean water, sanitary conditions, and dignity; in addition to UNICEF’s $480 million Call to Action, WHO is creating a 12-month Strategic Preparedness, Response, and Readiness Plan that will cost $160 million to address the escalating cholera threat.
The comprehensive cholera response strategy will include forty countries in severe crisis. Coordination, infection surveillance and prevention, immunization, treatment, and access to water, sanitation, and hygiene are all included. The two UN organizations collaborate closely. Grey replied, “We need the money to do what we need to do. — APP
