Deadly Cholera Outbreak in Jiech and Mogok Payams of Ayod County
CMD Rapid Response to Cholera Outbreak in Cattle Camps and around Jiech and Mogok Payams, Ayod County
By CMD Team, Ayod, South Sudan
May 14, 2017 (SSB) —- A CMD Rapid Response Team was deployed fast in Ayod County- Jonglei State to respond to cholera outbreak around the cholera camps in Jiech and Mogok Payams. 45 deaths had been reported, 40% of those being children and youth before this swift intervention.
The CMD team is supporting the County Health Department that had been overwhelmed by the number of cases; coupled by lack of supplies and capacity to contain the spread of cholera in the location. The situation is worsened by accessibility challenges as these are hard to reach and often-insecure areas.
A team from CMD responded fast with limited resources, and with the support of the health cluster embarked on collecting samples from suspected patients that were brought to Juba for laboratory tests and examination.
There was one positive result from the lab test in Juba. By the time of the response, several alert cases (140) were brought to the attention of CMD, since there was no existent health partner in Ayod. Since majority of the cases reported were in the cattle camps, logistical challenges were evident with most of the camps being between 5-7 hours walk from Jiech collection point.
Rains worsen the situation since Ayod has accessibility challenges during rainy seasons. Cholera cases, plus other water-related diseases are on the rise with rains. Shortage of health supplies and trained health workers was evident, exposing a population of about 200,000people to possible cholera risk.
In response, CMD moved to the cattle camps with limited supplies from the County Health Department, as logistical arrangements were on course in Juba, close follow ups made with WHO and the Health Cluster. WHO chartered health supplies to Jiech and with assistance from the CHD and local authorities, CHD staffs were mobilized to utilize donkeys to carry the drugs and the i/v fluids to the cattle camps. This was the 12th day of April. The local authorities played a significant role in ensuring rapid response were initiated.
CMD is working together with a RRM team from IOM; This being significant in scaling up the response and contain the outbreak and offer broader health survices to various locations; with Kandak, Karmun, Padek and Jiech CTUs made functional with support of essential drugs.
IOM established oral rehydration points in three hotspot areas to increase access to treatment. The County Health Department helped in facilitating surveillance and with the partnership offered a holistic approach to improve the community outreach efforts to contain the cholera outbreak.
CMD team has taken over full operations and has deployed a team on ground and will continue to provide primary essential health care besides treating cholera patients and offering surveillance. With supplies from the World Health Organization including response kits, medical supplies equipment, CMD continues to work with the cluster in responding to ensure zero cholera cases are achieved.
Through an integrated WASH and Health Support from IOM/RRF, CMD will continue to respond to suspected cases in Ayod County through Hygiene promotion activities aimed at spreading messages of safe practices within the communities to mitigate spread of cholera and other diseases, especially with the continued rains.
CMD has already engaged a team of 60 Hygiene Promoters from the community to enable speedy and effective response. Other teams with varying technical capacities have also been recruited and positioned for the response in Ayod County.
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