Poor sanitary conditions, compounded by the lack of running water and adequate toilets in the camps, are exposing survivors of Cyclone Freddy in Malawi to waterborne diseases such as cholera.
In Zomba, in the east of the country, some survivors deplore the lack of drinking water and complain of drinking contaminated water from a stream near their camp.
“We draw water from the nearby river. The river is below a cemetery. In the same area are latrines. With the rains, the latrines fill up with water and all this waste is carried into the river, which exposes us to the risk of cholera…” explains Elestina Chambo, survivor of the cyclone.
More than 500,000 people have been affected by bad weather since March 12, according to Ocha, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The evacuation center of Chambo which received many families must also manage an epidemic of scabies according to Gomezgani Nyasulu, Head of Disasters.
“As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, at the Chambo evacuation center we recorded cases of scabies today, and you know how scabies can spread in a place like this, d ‘where the importance of sanitation in places like this…….’
Nearly 300 emergency shelters have been opened but the destruction still limits access to humanitarian teams, explained the World Food Program (WFP).
“We also have problems, such as the fact that some displaced people suffer from non-communicable diseases such as asthma and epilepsy in our camps. We also have people on ART (antiretroviral therapy). The health problems in the communities are so important that they require the intervention of the district council. says Innocent Mvula, Environment Officer for Zomba District Council
Cyclone Freddy killed 360 people in Malawi, 86 in Mozambique and 17 in Madagascar.
