In Abuja, Nigeria, more than 1500 people have died of cholera since the beginning of the year, U.N. officials said Friday. At least 40,000 people have the disease, which is a bigger number than in 2009 and 2007 put together almost. It is described as the worst epidemic in years. The fatality rate is about 4.5 percent in Nigeria, higher in regions hit by floods, like Plateau. In Plateau, there is a 20 percent fatality rate. Cholera is caused by a bacterial infection caused by drinking and eating contaminated stuff. The epidemics are often associated with flooding, like the epidemic in Haiti.
In Haiti, the Arbonite region, heavy rains caused a river to overflow into communities, washing nasty sewage into the water that the residents probably still have to drink. When cholera affects a person, the person loses fluids through a lot of diarrhea. Close to 200 people have already died this way from cholera, and more than 2,000 people still suffer from the disease. A United Nations' deputy emergency relief coordinator said that 300,000 courses of antibiotics were already on the ground in Haiti. There is optimism that the current problem can be defeated by way of the antibiotics.
Cholera is common in poor, underdeveloped countries with poor hygienic environments, especially areas with a lot of flooding to deal with. However, unlike a lot of genetic diseases, cholera can be taken care of with the right treatments. Unfortunately, people of Haiti, Nigeria, and other poor areas still die from the disease because help doesn't arrive on time. Death and afflictions also occur when the areas in which these people live aren't clean and sanitary. It seems as though the people of Haiti and Nigeria don't have the means to create clean place for themselves, like with the Arbonite region, where floods causes the sewage to go into drinking water, that the people must drink.
What can be done for these seemingly helpless people who have already endured a terrible earthquake stronger than ten California earthquakes put together? Gracious relief teams provide part of the solution for Haiti. Good hygiene can be achieved, and cholera can be wiped out completely by way of gracious support. First, the reconstruction necessary for the Haitians to rise up from this disaster must be financed. Financial support can not only aid with the reconstruction, but also provide clean food and water for the people. This will be very important for the children there, who can use financial aid for schools. Anybody with a decent income can contribute to this cause, just like what the commercials mention when they talk about helping the poor in other countries. There are people already doing the footwork in solving the problem, there just needs to be enough caring individuals providing financial support. With enough care and compassion, more problems around the world can be solved.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/808307
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2010/10/23/Hundreds-dead-of-cholera-in-Nigeria
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