Chadian hospitals report increased malaria cases

Via Xinhua :

"  In major hospitals in the Chadian capital and other towns, more malaria cases are being reported and the government has decided to distribute treated mosquito nets to save more people from contracting the disease.

For the last two months, public and private hospitals and other health centers in N'Djamena have not ceased receiving an increased number of malaria patients, who have caused unprecedented overcrowding in hospitals.

"We have observed an increased number of malaria patients, as well as those affected by the problem of hygiene," said Hassan Soukaya Youssouf, the secretary of the Chadian Public Health Ministry.

"Malaria remains a major public health challenge in Chad and constitutes the main cause of death among children aged below five years. The disease is widespread across the entire national territory but it is more prevalent in the southern and central regions," said Bruno Maes, the UNICEF representative in Chad.

The representative of a U.S.-based NGO "Malaria No More", Ndelembai Njesada, whose organization helps to fight malaria in Chad, said the current spread of the disease could get worse."

Chad malaria cases hit emergency levels

Via The Guardian :

" A tenfold spike in malaria infections in south-east Chad, with many of the severest cases in young children, has triggered an emergency operation by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

The number of reported new cases rose from 1,228 in the first week of August to 14,021 by the end of the month at the charity's project in Am Timan, Salamat region. The estimated death toll is more than 50; the town has a population of 213,000.

At its outreach sites, the charity's teams said 73% of patients they have been treating were suffering from the mosquito-borne disease.

One in four deaths in Chad is attributed to malaria and it is the most common cause of death in children. MSF said it was not unusual for cases to peak during the rainy season, from July to November, but the increase was alarming.

Jason Mills, the charity's head of mission in the country, said the most likely explanation was a lack of protective bed nets combined with unusual rain patterns. Heavy rain left pools of stagnant water, which was exacerbated by further rain and a large number of mosquitoes, he added.

The rest of the country has also been inundated, particularly the south. The government plans to treat 800,000 cases this year, an increase of 25% on 2012, and has so far treated 450,000, disrupting medical supplies. Rain patterns were probably the cause, Mills said."

Cholera deaths in Chad 'could double': Red Cross

Article via IC Publications :

" The Red Cross on Wednesday warned that without a response the number of people in Chad infected with cholera could double to 25,000 people from the 12,713 cases recorded so far this year.

"The risk of a wider and more serious outbreak is very real," the International Federation of the Red Cross said in a press statement.

"With the peak of the rainy season coming (in September and October), it is feared that the number of cholera cases will double ... and could reach up to 20,000 to 25,000 cases," the Red Cross explained.

So far this year the disease has killed 364 people, it said, adding that "hundreds more lives" were at risk."

UNICEF leads community forums against polio in eastern Chad

A press release from UNICEF with regards to Polio in Chad :

" Focus on remote and vulnerable communities aims at stopping the spread of poliovirus in the country

In an effort to eradicate polio in Chad, UNICEF is stepping up its social mobilization efforts at the grassroots levels by mobilizing local authorities, religious leaders, women and youth groups, as well as other influential personalities, through community forums in the most remote and inaccessible regions of the country.

With 52 cases of poliovirus certified in the country over the past six months, twice the total registered in 2010, Chad has been identified as a public health emergency at the international level in the fight for the global eradication of polio. The country has also declared the polio situation a “national emergency”.

“In hard-to-reach areas, we need to mobilize all community forces and decision-makers to reach as many unimmunized children as possible and ensure more equitable coverage”, explained UNICEF Country Representative, Dr Marzio Babille.

The community forums, held in four Eastern Chad health districts where cases of polio have recently been certified, provided the opportunity to refute previous immunization coverage figures that were reportedly well above 100 per cent, as many identified villages have never received immunization services, including polio vaccine.

Participants also discussed common misconceptions on polio vaccination and made the commitment to act as ambassadors in their communities.. In Eastern Chad, many rumors about vaccination remain entrenched among the local population, such as that it reduces the fertility of girls and boys, that it contains swine oil, which is unacceptable for a widely Muslim population, or that it makes the children stubborn."

WHO : Meningococcal disease in Chad

Via WHO :

" 8 March 2011 : From 1 January to 6 March 2011, the Ministry of Health of Chad reported 923 suspected cases of meningococcal disease including 57 deaths (case-fatality rate: 6.2%). So far, five districts primarily in the region of Logone Occidental experience an epidemic (Benoye, Kello, Laokassy, Melfi and Moundou ) while two others are in alert (Boussou and Sarh).

The predominance of Neisseria meningitidis A in epidemic districts has been laboratory-confirmed by latex agglutination test, with no other Neisseria meningitidis serogroup being identified in these areas.

The International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision for Epidemic Meningitis Control has provided 752,000 doses of bivalent polysaccharide AC vaccine for a mass vaccination campaign in affected areas of Benoye, Kello, Laokassy, Melfi and Moundou. Vaccines are being provided with the support of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and Médecins sans Frontières."

UN: 24 dead, 70,000 homeless in Chad flooding

Via CNN :

" Some 70,000 people have been left homeless by flooding triggered by heavy rains in the central African nation of Chad, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Sunday.

Twenty-four people have been killed and 29 others injured, said Ute Kollies, head of the office's branch in Chad. Forty-six others have died from cholera that broke out in the wake of the floods. Some 700 people are suffering from cholera, she said.

Overall, nearly 145,000 people in Chad have been affected by the flooding, and that number is rising, she said.

"Today is the worst, and it's getting more and more out of hand," she said. "This is the crisis point, at the moment."

Flooding has affected more than half of Chad's regions, she said. The same regions were hit by extreme drought last year. About 31,500 hectares (77,000 acres) of crops have been destroyed.

About 6,000 people have been displaced, Kollies said. They have moved in with family or sought shelter in schools and open areas."

Cholera kills 41 in Central African nation of Chad

Via Associated Press , excerpt :

" N'DJAMENA, Chad : Health officials in Chad say an outbreak of cholera in the Central African nation has killed at least 41 people.

Mahamat Mamadou Adji said Friday that there have been nearly 600 confirmed cases of the fast-moving infection that causes diarrhea in victims, leading to severe dehydration.

The outbreak in Chad come as officials in the neighboring countries of Nigeria and Cameroon also have expressed concern about cholera deaths."