Tuesday, November 16, 2010
In fight against cholera, a dire need for soap
By William Booth
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - The difference between life and death in Haiti is now an ordinary bar of soap.
This Story
Soap could slow the terrifying cholera outbreak that is quickly spreading and has just in the past week entered the ravaged capital, according to health-care specialists and international aid groups.
But in the squalid slums of Port-au-Prince and the river towns where the cholera outbreak began three weeks ago, many Haitians held up their hands and shook their heads, saying they had no soap to stop an infection that is spread by contaminated food and water and in which vigorous hand-washing, especially after using the toilet, is the No. 1 way to save lives.
A cake of yellow Haitian soap costs about 50 cents. But many Haitians do not have soap because they cannot afford it. More than half the population lives on less than $1.25 a day.
"They buy food instead," said Gaelle Fohr, a coordinator of hygiene programs in Haiti for the U.N. Children's Fund.
"We borrow, we buy, but right now, we don't have any soap in the house, I am sorry to say," said Joceline Jeune, living with three children in a hillside shanty at the edge of a displaced-persons camp, as a gutter filled with greasy, gray water flowed inches from her front door.
When confronted by dubious toilets or fly-specked markets, people here daily use the expression "Mikwob pa touye ayisyen," which translates to "Germs don't kill Haitians."
"As hard as it is to believe, Haiti still needs soap. They have many needs, but soap - and access to clean water - is absolutely essential to fight cholera," Nigel Fisher, the top U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Haiti, said in an interview.
There are plans for more water trucks, and more chlorine in water tanks, wells and distribution points. But building a modern water and sanitation system will take years. By contrast, experts say, soap is fast and doable, allowing people to clean their hands.
Foreign governments, international aid groups and individuals have sent more than $3.4 billion in humanitarian aid here in the 10 months since a tremendous 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the capital, killing about 300,000 people and displacing more than 1.5 million, according to the Haitian government. But poverty is so deep, needs can seem bottomless.
"Haiti has crowded slums, poor hygiene, incredible poverty - before and after the earthquake. This is an extremely contagious, extremely virulent strain. It can kill in a few hours - unless you get help. We have well over a million people in camps; we have a disease that spreads by hand, mouth, touch, water. It can lie dormant for five days. You cannot tell who is infected," Fisher said. "The country is now facing a tremendous challenge with limited resources."
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Experts at the Pan American Health Organization forecast that 200,000 Haitians will show signs of the disease, while it is possible that a million will be infected but remain asymptomatic carriers still capable of spreading the potentially deadly bacteria.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - The difference between life and death in Haiti is now an ordinary bar of soap.
This Story
Soap could slow the terrifying cholera outbreak that is quickly spreading and has just in the past week entered the ravaged capital, according to health-care specialists and international aid groups.
But in the squalid slums of Port-au-Prince and the river towns where the cholera outbreak began three weeks ago, many Haitians held up their hands and shook their heads, saying they had no soap to stop an infection that is spread by contaminated food and water and in which vigorous hand-washing, especially after using the toilet, is the No. 1 way to save lives.
A cake of yellow Haitian soap costs about 50 cents. But many Haitians do not have soap because they cannot afford it. More than half the population lives on less than $1.25 a day.
"They buy food instead," said Gaelle Fohr, a coordinator of hygiene programs in Haiti for the U.N. Children's Fund.
"We borrow, we buy, but right now, we don't have any soap in the house, I am sorry to say," said Joceline Jeune, living with three children in a hillside shanty at the edge of a displaced-persons camp, as a gutter filled with greasy, gray water flowed inches from her front door.
When confronted by dubious toilets or fly-specked markets, people here daily use the expression "Mikwob pa touye ayisyen," which translates to "Germs don't kill Haitians."
"As hard as it is to believe, Haiti still needs soap. They have many needs, but soap - and access to clean water - is absolutely essential to fight cholera," Nigel Fisher, the top U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Haiti, said in an interview.
There are plans for more water trucks, and more chlorine in water tanks, wells and distribution points. But building a modern water and sanitation system will take years. By contrast, experts say, soap is fast and doable, allowing people to clean their hands.
Foreign governments, international aid groups and individuals have sent more than $3.4 billion in humanitarian aid here in the 10 months since a tremendous 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the capital, killing about 300,000 people and displacing more than 1.5 million, according to the Haitian government. But poverty is so deep, needs can seem bottomless.
"Haiti has crowded slums, poor hygiene, incredible poverty - before and after the earthquake. This is an extremely contagious, extremely virulent strain. It can kill in a few hours - unless you get help. We have well over a million people in camps; we have a disease that spreads by hand, mouth, touch, water. It can lie dormant for five days. You cannot tell who is infected," Fisher said. "The country is now facing a tremendous challenge with limited resources."
ad_icon
Quantcast
Experts at the Pan American Health Organization forecast that 200,000 Haitians will show signs of the disease, while it is possible that a million will be infected but remain asymptomatic carriers still capable of spreading the potentially deadly bacteria.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Ellen Raises Concern Over Water, Sanitation Issues
On the eve of her address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, September 24, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Wednesday, September 22, participated in a number of side events of the General Assembly, drawing attention to issues of water, sanitation and hygiene and inclusive growth and employment in Africa. Serving as a panelist for the discussion on the “Global Water and Sanitation Challenge: The Key to the MDGs,” the President expressed concern that despite the critical role water, sanitation and hygiene play in enhancing progress on all the other Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the sector is under-discussed, under-prioritized and under-resourced.
The President said current access to water and especially to sanitation in Africa is cause for concern. Only 26 of 54 African countries, she observed, are on track to meet the MDG for drinking water, and only six are on track to meet the Goal of sanitation. In
sub-Saharan Africa, the President pointed out, more than 80 percent of countries are off-track for the sanitation target.
The President indicated, however, that despite huge challenges in coordination, investment and financial capacity, Africa has made the political commitment to drive the sector forward. The Liberian leader also highlighted the progress Liberia has made in addressing the issue since she became President in 2006, while acknowledging that the country still has a long way to go. The country's Poverty Reduction Strategy, she noted, emphasizes water and sanitation. Liberia, the President recalled, has approved an Integrated Water Resource Management Policy. “Our Water Supply and Sanitation Policy approves the formation of a number of key institutions,” the Liberian President explained.
The President then urged all governments and institutions to take water, sanitation and hygiene seriously. “If we fail to address the causes of disease, such as lack of access to basic sanitation and safe drinking water, the rates of return on our investment in health will diminish, and we will continue to see our children die of easily preventable diseases,” she warned. The Liberian President, who is also Goodwill Ambassador for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Africa, said the continent remains committed to the achievement of this Goal.
The panel was also addressed by President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan; Senegal's Foreign Minister, representing President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal; former Prime Minister Han Seung-soo of the Republic of Korea; as well as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The officials pledged their institutions' commitment to prioritizing the global water and sanitation challenges.
Meanwhile, President Johnson Sirleaf has acknowledged that the most difficult challenge facing her Government is the implementation of the investments the country has attracted over the years. “How the big investments touch the lives of the ordinary man or woman, is the challenge, and we will continue to find effective responses,” the President told a gathering at another UN side event, organized to discuss inclusive growth in Africa and how it is impacting the lives of the people.
The notion of 'inclusive growth,” the President insisted, is not just an abstract concept; it must become a reality in order for a secure future to take hold.” The event, co-hosted by the Governments of Liberia, Tanzania and Denmark, was also attended by Prime Minister M.K. Peter Pinda of Tanzania and Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen of Denmark, who spoke of his country's support toward Africa's efforts to address the needs of its people. The Danish Premier indicated that by 2014, his country would have doubled its support to private sector development in Africa.
Growth and employment “is a key priority in our new strategy for development cooperation,” he stressed, adding, “we do this because now is the right time. Africa's potential has never been greater, and African countries are taking the lead. We, the development partners, must do our part,” he urged.
The Liberian leader has also been participating in other events. She was present in the General Assembly Hall when President Barack Obama addressed the MDG Summit. She also attended a reception for Heads of State, hosted by the Clinton Global Foundation, where she served as a panelist on Tuesday, September 21 on the “Empowering Girls and Women”.
The President will, among other events, participate in a panel discussion on Thursday, September 23, upon the invitation of the Presidents of Finland and Lithuania on behalf of the Women World Leaders. The panel will discuss “Women as a Critical Force in Democratic Governance”. Thursday's events also include a bilateral meeting between the Liberian President and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
source:http://www.theinquirer.com (viewed on 3rd Nov, 2010 4pm)
The President said current access to water and especially to sanitation in Africa is cause for concern. Only 26 of 54 African countries, she observed, are on track to meet the MDG for drinking water, and only six are on track to meet the Goal of sanitation. In
sub-Saharan Africa, the President pointed out, more than 80 percent of countries are off-track for the sanitation target.
The President indicated, however, that despite huge challenges in coordination, investment and financial capacity, Africa has made the political commitment to drive the sector forward. The Liberian leader also highlighted the progress Liberia has made in addressing the issue since she became President in 2006, while acknowledging that the country still has a long way to go. The country's Poverty Reduction Strategy, she noted, emphasizes water and sanitation. Liberia, the President recalled, has approved an Integrated Water Resource Management Policy. “Our Water Supply and Sanitation Policy approves the formation of a number of key institutions,” the Liberian President explained.
The President then urged all governments and institutions to take water, sanitation and hygiene seriously. “If we fail to address the causes of disease, such as lack of access to basic sanitation and safe drinking water, the rates of return on our investment in health will diminish, and we will continue to see our children die of easily preventable diseases,” she warned. The Liberian President, who is also Goodwill Ambassador for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Africa, said the continent remains committed to the achievement of this Goal.
The panel was also addressed by President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan; Senegal's Foreign Minister, representing President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal; former Prime Minister Han Seung-soo of the Republic of Korea; as well as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The officials pledged their institutions' commitment to prioritizing the global water and sanitation challenges.
Meanwhile, President Johnson Sirleaf has acknowledged that the most difficult challenge facing her Government is the implementation of the investments the country has attracted over the years. “How the big investments touch the lives of the ordinary man or woman, is the challenge, and we will continue to find effective responses,” the President told a gathering at another UN side event, organized to discuss inclusive growth in Africa and how it is impacting the lives of the people.
The notion of 'inclusive growth,” the President insisted, is not just an abstract concept; it must become a reality in order for a secure future to take hold.” The event, co-hosted by the Governments of Liberia, Tanzania and Denmark, was also attended by Prime Minister M.K. Peter Pinda of Tanzania and Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen of Denmark, who spoke of his country's support toward Africa's efforts to address the needs of its people. The Danish Premier indicated that by 2014, his country would have doubled its support to private sector development in Africa.
Growth and employment “is a key priority in our new strategy for development cooperation,” he stressed, adding, “we do this because now is the right time. Africa's potential has never been greater, and African countries are taking the lead. We, the development partners, must do our part,” he urged.
The Liberian leader has also been participating in other events. She was present in the General Assembly Hall when President Barack Obama addressed the MDG Summit. She also attended a reception for Heads of State, hosted by the Clinton Global Foundation, where she served as a panelist on Tuesday, September 21 on the “Empowering Girls and Women”.
The President will, among other events, participate in a panel discussion on Thursday, September 23, upon the invitation of the Presidents of Finland and Lithuania on behalf of the Women World Leaders. The panel will discuss “Women as a Critical Force in Democratic Governance”. Thursday's events also include a bilateral meeting between the Liberian President and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
source:http://www.theinquirer.com (viewed on 3rd Nov, 2010 4pm)
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