ReliefWeb

14 July 2011: Some $3.3 million was made available from the CERF in July in response to a cholera outbreak threatening five million people in southern and western parts of Chad. Nearly 6,000 people were infected by the disease in early July, which causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to death in many cases if not detected and treated.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) received $2.5 million and the World Health Organization (WHO) a further $730,000 to respond to the cholera outbreak and prevent it from worsening. Local NGOs and the Chadian Red Cross were engaged as implementing partners and support was provided to the Chadian Ministry of Health. The CERF enabled life-threatening cholera cases to be treated by supplying essential medicines and training for health workers. CERF funding allowed improvements to be made to water supplies and basic sanitation at the community level to prevent the spread of the disease. Local radio was used to make the local population fully aware of the cholera threat and communicate methods for preventing its spread. Assistance was also given to the Ministry of Health to improve its disease surveillance and detection capability, which will have a lasting positive impact in Chad.