Cholera outbreaks still occur, often after a disaster such as a flood or earthquake. The disaster in Marieopol is that the Russians wanted to get their hands on the city at all costs. It has been completely destroyed, including the infrastructure that should provide the city with clean water.
hot and dirty
These are conditions where the cholera bacteria can easily spread. Hygiene conditions are poor in the city. The dead are still lying in the street and under the rubble. Sewage water is not drained properly.
According to the UN, the wastewater even mixes with drinking water. Now that the weather is warming and summer is approaching, concerns are growing further.
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Wat is cholera
Cholera is caused by a bacteria and you get it through contaminated water or food. Swimming in contaminated water can also make you sick.
The incubation period is on average a day or two. You will then suffer from diarrhoea, as thin as water that has a light yellow-green color. Fortunately, if you are healthy, you often recover quickly.
If you have a problem with it, you will lose a lot of fluid in a short time due to the diarrhea. You dehydrate and you may even lose consciousness or die. It is important to get enough fluids, but if you are in a place without clean drinking water, that is not possible.
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Code rood
Since the beginning of this month, Ukrainian authorities have been alert to a possible outbreak. Some suspected cases are being investigated, but it is difficult to get a good idea of the situation in the city, with Russian soldiers marching through the streets.
“The risk of cholera is very high, it is code red,” an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol told earlier this week. ABC News.
The UK Ministry of Defense shares the same concern today. “Russia is not able to set up basic services for the population.” Earlier, in April, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a cholera outbreak.
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Vaccine
There is a vaccine against cholera. It is actually a travel vaccine, for when you go on holiday to countries where hygiene is not in order. There are three vaccines on the market. One is made by a company in Sweden, headed by the Dutch Janet Hoogstraate.
She says the vaccine is effective and could certainly help in the event of an outbreak in Mariupol.
“We are looking at what the possibilities are to help,” Hoogstraate told RTL Nieuws. “We’ve done this before. After the earthquake in Haiti, we sent thousands of vaccines.” The cholera outbreak, which followed the 2010 earthquake, infected more than half a million people. 8000 people did not survive that then.
According to Hoogstraate, the vaccine protects well and works quickly. Another advantage is that you can drink the vaccine.
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Cholera in Nederland
After earlier epidemics in countries such as India and Germany, cholera was diagnosed in Scheveningen in 1832. The disease was probably brought from England by skippers. The deadliest epidemic in the Netherlands took place more than thirty years later. It took the lives of more than 20,000 people.
At the time, researchers noticed that more people became ill in poorer neighborhoods where hygiene was not in order. Contaminated water turned out to be the cause. Cholera was eradicated by installing water pipes and sewers.
According to the RIVM, there are currently between 0 and 9 cholera reports per year in the Netherlands.
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Prepared
The WHO already says prepared in case of a major outbreak. Vaccines are already waiting in a warehouse in Dnipro, about 300 kilometers from Mariupol. It is not clear how many vaccines are involved.
The next challenge will be to get the vaccines to the people of Mariupol. In severe cases, cholera can be fatal within hours, so speed is important.
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