IHP supports World Vision's response to Zimbabwe cholera outbreak - February 2009

As the cholera outbreak continues to worsen in Zimbabwe, international relief and development agency World Vision has sent a shipment today of urgently needed medicines to Zimbabwe.

Working in collaboration with International Health Partners, the charity has been privileged to receive donated medicines from a number of UK healthcare companies. Today’s shipment includes a donation of 18,500 litres of Saline solution and Ringer’s Lactate from Baxter Healthcare, vials of injectable water from Ambe Medical and much needed antibiotics from Pfizer and Wockhardt. These will go a long way towards enabling World Vision to set up 10 Cholera Treatment Centres throughout Zimbabwe, each equipped to treat 100 patients a month. It will also contribute to the creation of 30 cholera treatment kits, each enough for 50 people.

More than 3,300 people have died from cholera, and another 60,000 have become infected, since October last year in an outbreak that has hit an already-suffering population.

“We are very grateful to Baxter, Ambe Medical, Pfizer and Wockhardt for their extremely generous donation to help save people’s lives in Zimbabwe,” says Charles Badenoch World Vision UK Chief Executive.

“We need to get the supplies out there as soon as possible, and we’re asking the British public to help make this happen.”

International Health Partners, the UK charity responsible for the national co-ordination of donated medicines for disasters, has assembled the requested supplies and arranged for their shipment through Aviation without Borders, a charity dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance through aviation services

World Vision, one of the largest NGOs working on the ground in Zimbabwe, is leading the cholera response in four out of ten provinces. In a few areas, the situation seems to be improving, attributed to the work of aid agencies, who have supplied hospitals with IV fluids, drugs, medical supplies, staff and vehicles to help in the fight against the disease. However, many thousands are still affected and World Vision continues to appeal to the UK public for help.

Rapid deterioration of the health delivery system, lack of adequate water supply, and lack of capacity to dispose of solid waste and repair sewer blockages have all been the main drivers of the current spread of cholera.