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Pastoralists struck by deadly diarrhoea
An outbreak of Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) is affecting thousands of people in Ethiopia. The government reported over 11,000 cases and around 100 deaths in three regions including the capital, Addis Ababa, in August and September. The Ministry of Health has expressed concerns that the outbreak could escalate with the rainy season.
In November, cases were reported in the central east of the country, in Dassanech district, which neighbours Hamer district where Health Poverty Action is working with pastoralist communities. Pastoralists are nomadic or semi-nomadic peoples who depend primarily on raising livestock. It is likely that this outbreak will spread amongst these pastoralist groups, given poor hygiene and sanitation, almost no access to safe water, and the mobile nature of the communities.
The cases in Dassenech district originated in a lakeside area where it is believed fishermen from other regions may have come to work and then spread the disease. Schools have been shut and the area is provisionally closed to tourists. Around 1,500 pastoralists are suspected of having AWD, in a district with only one health centre. There are concerns that lack of food, tents, and transport to provide water and medicines is hampering treatment efforts. There is also a major shortage of health workers – just three nurses for over 50 cases.
AWD, like other kinds of diarrhoea, is spread through contaminated food or water or person-to-person. Diarrhoeal disease is the second biggest cause of death in children under five, killing around 1.5 million children every year according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
This latest outbreak comes on top of this year’s drought which has caused widespread harvest failure, food and water shortages in many parts of the country. Increasing levels of malnutrition will only worsen the spread of AWD.
In October the WHO and UNICEF launched a strategy to prevent and treat diarrhoea, including measures such as the promotion of hand-washing, exclusive breastfeeding, community-wide sanitation, and improving water supply, as well as vaccination and simple treatments like oral rehydration therapy. But the main issue is lack of awareness and political will to tackle this disease. In the run up to the Millennium Development Goals review in 2010, it will be crucial for governments and the international community to wake up to the need to deal with diarrhoea and end the scandal of preventable deaths caused by this disease.
