Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

FROM THE FIELD

Outbreak Response in Dungu, D.R. Congo
08 May 2009 10:30:00 GMT
 Source: Medair - Switzerland
Medair

Website: Website: http://www.medair.org

220382 logo
Packing medical supplies into boxes for emergency transport
Previous | Next
Packing medical supplies into boxes for emergency transport

Background

•  AIDS pandemic

•  Health and diseases

•  Chikungunya

MORE >>
In Amadi, one of the villages hit by the outbreak, seven people have died from bloody diarrhoea, with another 286 sick. Amadi is a two-day journey from Medair's base in Isiro.

Upon receiving the news, Medair responded immediately, packing medical supplies into boxes for emergency transport. "We sent 350 kilograms of supplies the next morning," said Guillaume Lemer, Logistics Manager. "We packed it onto four motorbikes to bring the urgently needed medicine to Amadi as quickly as possible."

The supplies included antibiotics, intravenous fluids, oral rehydration solution, and water purification tablets. One of Medair's medical supervisors accompanied the transport to evaluate the situation on-site.

The outbreak occurred in a region where thousands of displaced people have found refuge from attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Amadi began hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs) in March when the LRA rebels moved farther west. Today there are an estimated 6,000 IDPs living in Amadi among the villagers in a very limited space, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.

"We arrived just in time," said Florentin Inikpio Manga, Medair Health Supervisor. "The health structures had used their last antibiotics the day we got there. We also trained nurses in and around Amadi on how to recognise and treat an epidemic."

The bloody diarrhoea also struck the village of Taduru, where four people died in the first few days of the outbreak. Medair sent medical supplies to Taduru but a supervisor has not been able to travel there because of renewed LRA attacks in the area. Since September 2008, the region has been under continuous attack by the LRA. Some villages have been raided up to six times, forcing emergency evacuations of the residents. More than 1,000 civilians have been killed and approximately 250,000 people have been forced to flee.

The raiding has made some roads impassable for weeks at a time, isolating some villages from aid. "In cases of epidemic outbreak, this can have severe consequences for the population," said Susanne Krauss, Base Manager. "We hope that the road to Taduru will be secure enough soon to send a medical supervisor there to assist the people and follow up on the impact of the medicine we have sent."

With no sign of an end to the LRA conflict, Medair will continue providing emergency aid to the vulnerable population of Dungu and the surrounding region.

For media, please contact: Janneke de Kruijf, Media Officer.

Janneke.dekruijf@medair.org or telephone +41.78.6353.095

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since 1998, the International Rescue Committee estimates that an astonishing 5.4 million people have died in DRC from war-related causes, particularly from hunger and disease. For 11 years, Medair has provided emergency relief and rehabilitation in the country for millions of suffering people, and has been called, "the most respected organisation in the entire region." Now, with violent conflict tragically escalating once again, Medair applies its expertise from over a decade of experience to bring urgent life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable of DRC.

Medair brings life-saving relief and rehabilitation in disasters, conflict areas, and other crises by working alongside the most vulnerable. Its internationally recruited staff are motivated by their Christian faith to care for people in need, providing practical and compassionate support, regardless of race, religion, or politics. Founded in 1989, Medair has an unwavering commitment to bring hope to the world's most vulnerable.

© Medair / M. Samper


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  Health

MORE >>

Members

•  Medair - Switzerland

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  Outbreak Response in Dungu, D.R. Congo
Medair - Switzerland

•  "It is too early to claim victory on H1N1 virus", says IFRC
IFRC - Switzerland

•  ACT Appeal: Gaza Crisis, REVISION 2, OPT
ACT - Switzerland

•  MAG's Conventional Weapons Management and Disposal programme - update
MAG - UK

•  UMCOR Hotline for May 5, 2009
UMCOR - USA

MORE >>

Latest news

•  WHO may shorten annual assembly because of flu

•  Asia pledges common fight against flu

•  WHO may shorten annual assembly because of flu

•  Flu spreads in U.S., Asia pledges common fight

•  Flu spreads in U.S., Asia pledges common fight

MORE >>

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Background information

Topics
Health
Facts & figures
Congo (DR)

Related articles

Breaking stories
 WHO may shorten annual assembly because of flu (1 minute ago)

Asia pledges common fight against flu (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 More midwives crucial to stop mothers dying in fragile states (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 Outbreak Response in Dungu, D.R. Congo (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 Saving Lives (1 minute ago)

Maps
 MAP: Swine Influenza (as of 29 Apr 2009) - Location Map (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-05-08T053015Z_01_BAN12_RTRIDSP_2_THAILAND_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAN12.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-05-08T052822Z_01_BAN11_RTRIDSP_2_FLU-ASIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAN11.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-05-08T045639Z_01_BAN09_RTRIDSP_2_THAILAND_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAN09.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-05-08T045410Z_01_BAN08_RTRIDSP_2_THAILAND_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAN08.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-05-08T024911Z_01_HND02_RTRIDSP_2_HONDURAS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HND02.htm

A group photo of ASEAN + 3 Health Ministers (L to R) Indonesia's Minister of Health Supari Siti Fadilah, Lao's Minister of Health Ponmek Dalaloy, Malaysia's Minister of Health Dato Sri ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Fri May 8 10:33:46 2009