December 11, 2008, Los Angeles, Calif. - International Medical Corps is deploying cholera kits that include antibiotics, intravenous fluids and oral rehydration salts, as well as basic health supplies to Zimbabwe to treat severe cases of cholera. Nearly 800 people have died from the disease so far, though some authorities place the number of deaths over 1,000. The World Health Organization has called it the worst outbreak in the country since a 1992 epidemic that killed 3,000.
"With nine of the country's 10 provinces reporting that people lack basic medical care, cholera kits are an essential and immediate means to treat a large number of cases," says International Medical Corps' Patrick Mweki, who arrived in the capital of Harare last week to assess the need. "Some areas have as many as 7,500 cases reported, so local clinics and hospitals require enough supplies and medicines to treat hundreds of people, which these kits provide."
Supplied by International Relief Teams (IRT), the cholera kits contain units of medicines, supplies, IV units, and oral re-hydration salts. International Medical Corps is now planning how it will most effectively distribute these kits.
A spokeswoman for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said: "The entire health system is collapsing; there are no more doctors, no nurses, no specialists." Many health workers are reportedly on strike because they have not been paid or have simply deserted hospitals and health centers as the crisis grows.
Hundreds of people each day are streaming into neighboring South Africa, sparking fears that the epidemic could spread beyond Zimbabwe's border. The World Health Organization says the average death rate among infected Zimbabweans was 4.5 percent in November, and as high as 20-30 percent in remote areas. The normal fatality rate, where clean water and medication are available is below one percent.
Since its inception nearly 25 years ago, International Medical Corps' mission has been to relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning devastated populations to self-reliance. For more information visit our website at www.imcworldwide.org.
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North Korean health officials vaccinate a bird against bird flu at the Central Zoo in Pyongyang in this picture taken December 9, 2008 and released December 10, 2008. REUTERS/KCNA (NORTH KOREA) ...
