Working together to stop cholera in its tracks

Story & Photos by Jenny Davies

Flights for MAF partner ACROSS have brought urgently-needed supplies to tackle an

outbreak of cholera in Pibor.

MAF pilots Daniel Loewen-Rudgers and Ide Gooden brought two doctors and nearly two

tons of essential medicines, water purification tablets, and medical consumables including

gloves to Pibor, in the east of South Sudan. Dr Wani Moses Joseph and Dr Silham Seif Eldin are helping to bolster prevention measures through outreach activities in the community, in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area of Jonglei State. The doctors will co-ordinate the response by mobilising community volunteers to raise awareness about the disease and how it can be prevented.

Cholera, which is contracted from consuming contaminated water or food, can be deadly if left untreated. Combating the fast-spreading diarrheal infection requires a two-pronged approach of treatment and prevention that is currently under way in Pibor.

‘We will be co-ordinating with MSF (Medicins Sans Frontieres) who are managing treatment of cholera patients. The medical supplies will greatly improve the situation as most of the partners are out of stock,’ Dr Wani explains. ‘The supplies we are bringing with MAF are enough to treat patients for several months.’ He says the volunteers will promote the improved sanitation practices that will prevent the further spread of cholera including disinfecting water sources, handwashing with soap, and using latrines instead of open defecation. ‘After training the volunteers, they will start the distribution of water purifiers. We will also be supporting mass vaccination in the communities,’ Dr Wani says.

According to International NGO CARE, over a million people in South Sudan are affected by the cholera crisis and, as of early April, the disease has claimed 799 lives, with more than 40,000 confirmed cases reported across 40 counties in nine states.

The MAF flights landed in a vital window before the start of the wet season when transport

becomes more challenging.