Fear Of Sanctions Limits Cholera Data
Many poor countries
either do not report -- or provide only scant details on -- disease outbreaks
of cholera out of fear of being slapped with costly economic and trade
sanctions according to senior World Health Organization medical officials.
In 1991, an
outbreak of cholera cost Peru over $700 million in lost exports and tourism
revenues. Similarly, an outbreak in 1996-97 in four African countries led
the European Union to put in restrictions on imports.
The World Trade
Organization rules allow for countries to put in place import restrictions
for health purposes but stipulate they have to show cause based on sound
science. The WHO maintains that food commercially imported from affected
countries produced under good manufacturing practices poses only a negligible
risk of transmission.
"We need to
demystify cholera in order to better address the problem," Dr. Claire-Lise
Chaignat, WHO co-coordinator of the global task force on Cholera control,
told United Press International.
Cholera is
an acute intestinal infection , spread by contaminated water and food.
It causes diarrhea that can lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment
-- normally oral rehydration salts -- is not promptly given.
Preliminary
WHO figures reveal that in 2001 a total of 43 countries reported 156,598
cases of cholera, including 1842 deaths. Final numbers, including yet-to-be
reported case data for South America and additional figures for Africa,
will be published in July, said WHO medical officer Dr. Sylvie Briand.
Information
supplied so far shows South Africa with 106,159 reported cases including
232 deaths, the island of Madagascar had 17,219 cases including 413 fatalities;
Chad, 5,244 cases with 226 deaths, Afghanistan 4499 cases and 114 deaths;
and neighboring India 2938 cases and 4 deaths
WHO experts
admit the officially reported figures are not very representative of the
true magnitude of the disease. Chaignat said only about 5-10% are of all
cholera cases are officially documented..
There are an
estimated 3.5 billion people who will not have access to water and sanitation
services by 2025 if more money is not provided to address the problem according
to Darren Saywell of the World Water Council. He said it would require
$225 billion or $9 billion per year over the text 25 years to meet that
need.
Chaignat said
in order to be more effective in controlling the underestimated problem
of cholera more innovative approaches are needed.
Some communities,
such as urban squatter settlements or rural towns cannot afford water services.
Saywell said hand pumps that tap into a local well or aquifer or even a
single water pipe turned on for a few hours per day are some safe and low
cost means to enhance access to safe water.
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Copyright 2002 by United
Press International.
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