Cholera Prevention
 In
mid-December of 2007, MPT listened to a research report on
Cholera in Iraq conducted by a young man, a member of MPT who
had just finished high school, Laith Atta, 19. We learned some
important facts from the report: that the outbreak of the disease
had begun first in northern Iraq first, in the city of Sulimaniyah,
through contaminated mineral water imported from Iran.
There
are about 3000 inflicted cases and 60 death cases across the
country, no single case reported in Najaf so far. Shortage
of professional medical staff and medication in main hospitals
caused this high number of infected people.
Laith educated
us about how the disease breaks out, the scientific facts about
the bacteria, and how to prevent the disease from happening
through proper sanitation and personal hygiene.
MPT formed
a Cholera-Prevention Committee to put together a comprehensive
plan to launch a campaign quickly, visiting about 100 families,
restaurants and food handling businesses in Najaf and surrounding
areas, including the countryside. The purpose is to educate
the targeted groups about the disease and its prevention. Ten
Cholera-Prevention teams of 3 volunteers each were formed to
demonstrate the process of proper sanitation using the following:
- Bleach
for water sterilization
- Boiling water
- Chloramine tablets
- 3-compartment
sinks (or 3 large deep plastic containers)
- Illustrated pamphlets
In addition, there will be TV and radio ads, and training
and demonstration visits to schools.
MPT contributed $1000
for the first stage of this project to meet the cost of purchasing
the needed items. Our main goal is to visit 1000 families and
food handling establishments over the next 2 months, if funding
is available. An initial estimate of total funds needed for
Najaf Cholera-Prevention Project is $20,000, or about $20 per
household visit This includes the items mentioned above, plus
food, drink and transportation for the teams.
The population
of Najaf is about one million people. |
