Summary: European Commission allocates €1.5 million for emergency response to cholera outbreaks in Angola (Brussels, 21 April 2006)
The European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, has proposed to grant €1.5 million to support an emergency response to cholera outbreaks in various provinces of Angola, which have caused more than 550 deaths in the last two months. Extremely heavy rains over much of southern Africa since January, compounded by poverty, lack of basic sanitation facilities and low hygiene standards have resulted in outbreaks of cholera in suburban areas of several cities.
The first cholera outbreak was declared in the slum districts of Sambizanga and Ingombota (Boavista) in Luanda on February 13th. Luanda's vast slums are home to upwards of 3 million people, mostly former displaced persons from the first phases of the conflict who settled two or three decades ago in areas with no drainage, potable water supply or rubbish collection facilities. The combined intervention of the Angolan Government, UN agencies and NGOs initially succeeded in bringing about a
stabilization of the situation to less than 100 cases a week. However, since early April the outbreak has spread extremely rapidly to other areas of the city, and the number of cases has risen rapidly to reach 1,500 by 15th April, with a forecast increase to more than 2,500 by 22nd April.
Since early April there has been an alarming and extremely rapid spread and outbreaks have also been declared in five other provinces of Angola - Benguela, Malanje, Kwanza Norte, Bengo and Huambo. There have been 13,821 cases since 13th February including 646 deaths - a case fatality rate at national level of 5%.
Peace came to Angola in April 2002 after almost thirty years of conflict which left the country devastated, with the provision of social services such as basic health care and water and sanitation inexistent in most areas.
UN agencies and non-governmental organizations have been scaling up their interventions in the six provinces thus far affected, including redeployment of medical teams within Angola and from Europe, and the dispatch of large quantities of ringer lactate, oral rehydration salts and other essential items from Europe, as such stocks are insufficient or completely absent in many areas.
Between 25 and 50% of cholera cases are fatal if untreated. However, appropriate treatment can reduce the mortality rate to below 1-2%. The cholera case-fatality rate in Africa is generally 5%, the highest in the world. Pre-emptive positioning of oral rehydration salts, ringer lactate, and other essential treatments, together with chlorination of water sources are the most cost-effective interventions, together with case management and referral. It appears to be too late for vaccine
strategies.
Emergency supplies of clean water are also required, for both household and hospital use, in order to break the cycle of infection. Social mobilization and public awareness efforts and hygiene education are also important to the control of this type of outbreak.
The Emergency funds are being mobilised by DG ECHO the humanitarian aid department of the European Commission and will be channelled through humanitarian organisations such as Médecins du Monde ; Médecins Sans Frontières and UN agencies such as UNICEF and WHO.
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