A Hint of Relief

Lately, as many may have heard, there is a cholera epidemic in Sierra Leone, an epidemic which has thus far affected over 18,000 people and killed just under 300. For me it seems like it came out of left field: I was at work one morning and someone casually says, “Cholera outbreak in Freetown!” At this point only a few thousand were infected and less than 100 had died and it was concentrated in Freetown, but one thing was certain, it was going to make its way to Kabala, it was just a matter of time.

As expected, it arrived, as did a relief team from Medicos Del Mundo Spain with whom I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside and learn A LOT from. Since the beginning of the epidemic only 59 people have been infected with the bug, none which have died in the Koinadugu district.  I think several factors are responsible for this. For starters, villages are fairly isolated from one another and we don't have a high population density using a single water source as in Freetown. The second big saver is the good sensitization work all NGO’s have been doing. The outbreak has not been off the charts in Koinadugu, which provided us with a beautiful opportunity for sensitization and prevention activities. I would like to think that all of our efforts have contributed to the low case rate in the district. Nonetheless, they have forecasted approximately 1,000 cases, 300 of which serious.  I don’t wish cholera on anybody but truthfully, it’s been an amazing experience which has exposed me to many things. For example attending a training session for nurses about the symptoms, control, and treatment of the bug, seeing a CTC being set up, going out and educating people about preventative measures they can take, working with the DHMT and DMO, and sitting in on meetings with people from the WHO. Conveniently, all of this confirms that relief is something I’d like to pursue in the future. I got to give credit the Medicos team, though. The experience, professionalism, organization, and openness they have extended to me, an intern, to tag along, forward me important data, and involve me in the process is something absolutely amazing and kind. These are specialists that have responded to cholera outbreaks in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and other precarious places, and I get to pick their brains! Very groovy.

Food for thought: The last cholera outbreak in the USA occurred in 1911. Here we are in 2012 still running around the globe treating this very preventable disease. Shameful, really.