Summary: CHF 114’688 was allocated from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 20 March, 2012 to support Sierra Leone Red Cross Society in delivering immediate assistance to some 128,000 beneficiaries (32,000 households).
The Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation confirmed a cholera outbreak in 3 districts of Sierra Leone (Kambia and Port Loko in the North and Pujehun in the South) in early March 2012.The outbreak by this time had claimed 34 lives and affected 2,137 persons.The spread of Cholera to the neighbouring districts is attributed to the high mobility of people from one community to another for commercial and personal activities.
The response operation lasted 3 months during which 300 volunteers and 9 Branch Health Officers and Coaches received training in Epidemic Control for Volunteers (ECV) Manual and deployed in affected and at risk communities for social mobilization and to carry out health promotion activities. An additional 280 community volunteers attended an orientation workshop focussing on early case detection and referral of suspected cholera cases. During the operation, 96 suspected cholera cases were referred to health centres for treatment.
In total, 120,000 beneficiaries (30,000 households) in the affected districts of Pujehun, Kambia and Port Loko have been reached with health messages on cholera prevention, preparation and administration of Oral Rehydration Salt Solutions (ORS), household water treatment, hand washing, personal hygiene and environmental cleanliness. In addition to the sensitizations, Non-Food Items (NFIs) were distributed to support the management of the outbreak. These included 5,000 water treatment tablets and assorted medical supplies for use in treatment of household water thus ensuring access to safe drinking water.
Sierra Leone Red Cross (SLRC) as a member of the MoH disease surveillance committee attended weekly meetings of the cholera task force that was tasked with monitoring and coordination of response activities. World Health Organisation (WHO) provided technical expertise to the government on disease control while, Action Contre La Faim (ACF) chlorinated wells thus providing households with access to safe water.UNICEF donated drugs and medical items to the government who in turn through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation donated assorted medical items (IV fluids, drips, giving sets and ORS) to support case management of the disease.