OCHA Situation Report
Guinea-Bissau: Cholera Epidemic
4 September 2008

Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

I. Introduction

1. In May 2008, the first cases of Cholera were detected in the southern 
part of the country. Despite immediate measures to control this localised 
epidemic, in mid June cholera was confirmed in the capital Bissau. In July 
2008, the Government officially declared an emergency and put in place a 
Plan of Action to stop the epidemic in close collaboration with WHO, 
UNICEF and other partners.

II. Cholera Outbreak

2. As of 1st September, over 3,900 cases of cholera are reported with 90 
deaths confirmed. It is to be noted that during the 2005 outbreak 25,000 
cases were recorded, with over 400 deaths. The fatality rate for 2008 is 
around 2.4%, whereas in 2005 it was 1.8%. Up to now, over US$ 1 million 
has been mobilised by the UN system to respond to the epidemic.

3. The highest attack rates (number of cases / population) are seen in 
Bissau, Biombo and Quinara. New cases have been recently detected in Sao 
Domingos (northern part of the country, bordering Senegal) and in the 
Bijagos Islands (Bubaque and Bolama).

4. The evolution of Cholera per week is as follows:

    


5. From the beginning of the outbreak, the UN team undertook a joint 
assessment in the affected areas to evaluate the severity of the crisis, 
and developed a Plan of Action in collaboration with the Ministry of 
Health. Since then, several organisations such as the Red Cross Movement, 
OXFAM US, MSF Spain, Medicos do Mundo and Plan International have been 
mobilised and are working in close partnership with the UN team to tackle 
the crisis. UNICEF and WHO are the lead agencies in regards to 
coordination, prevention, provision of communication materials, following 
on cases registration and implementation of the National Response Plan. 6. 
Teams of epidemiologists from the CDC (USA) and the Ministry of Health of 
Brazil are working with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF and WHO to test 
rapid diagnosis kits for cholera at the National Hospital and to design a 
formal study on the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of the population 
of Bissau city with regard to cholera.

Attachments:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments?openagent&docid=E75882DE36C54F8E852574BA0069C7B6&file=Full_Report.pdf

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