ReliefWeb

US$1.2 million is urgently needed for WHO, UNICEF and other health sector partners to sustain scaled-up response operations for the cholera outbreak, to ensure that families and communities have access to lifesaving treatment and care, to prevent new cholera cases and to prevent the further spread of the outbreak.

Summary

Sierra Leone declared an outbreak of cholera in February 2012 which affected Port Loko, Kambia, and Pujehun districts. However, the infection later spread to the Western Area, where Freetown is located. Since mid-July, the number of cases have greatly increased (from less than 10 per day to over 250 per day in August) and the epidemic has rapidly spread to eight further districts: Bo,
Bombali, Tonkolili Moyamba, Bonthe, Kenema, Konandugo and Kono, bringing the number of affected districts to twelve (population 5.6 million) out of the thirteen districts in the country. As of 10 September a total of 17 319 cases with 259 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate of 1.5%.

This is a major crisis for a country recovering from several years of conflict with a fragile health system. The President of Sierra Leone has declared the outbreak a humanitarian and public health emergency, as virtually the entire country is now affected. A National Scale-Up Response Plan has been developed to bring the outbreak under control.

UN and partner agencies have scaled-up their response to the outbreak. However, there is a gap of US$ 1.2 million for the health sector to sustain the implementation of key cholera response interventions including, intersectoral coordination, strengthening the epidemiological surveillance and alert system, adequate case management, and support for social mobilization, integrated water and sanitation interventions and supply provision (mainly through the UNICEF logistic platform).

The Sierra Leonean health sector is severely underfunded and needs significant support in its efforts to combat this major cholera epidemic.