Humanitarian, environmental, and soon medical disaster? The collapse of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine raised concerns among the World Health Organization (WHO), which on Thursday increased “epidemiological surveillance”by discovering that the cholera bacillus was present in the environment in the country. If no cases have yet been identified, the spread of the disease could begin with ongoing large-scale floods, which, according to the people of Kiev, have already affected an area of \u200b\u200bmore than 600 km².
“Strengthening epidemiological surveillance of waterborne diseases”Teresa Zakaria, WHO Emergency Manager, said at a press conference. Since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, no cases of cholera have been reported in Ukraine, but “samples taken from the environment show that the pathogen is present there, which poses a risk”the spokesperson emphasized.
Cases can appear “at any time”
“So that we can start identifying cases at any time”she insisted, and “we are working closely with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to ensure that mechanisms are in place to import vaccines as soon as they are needed”.
Due to the consequences of flooding in “Water supply, sanitation and healthcare”WHO has provided assistance so that authorities and health professionals can “take preventive measures against waterborne diseases” and for “improve disease surveillance”its CEO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also assured the press.
The UN agency delivered relief supplies to the affected areas, Reuters reported. WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan said the organization also offered assistance in Russian-controlled areas, but its operational presence was limited. “mostly” on the Ukrainian side. “We would be happy to have access to these areas (from the Russian side, ed. note) and be able to monitor health problems, as we would like to do in most situations.”he began, believing that the Ukrainian and Russian authorities should agree on how to achieve this.
Risks identified already in the first months of the conflict
Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacillus Vibrio cholerae. This extremely dangerous disease can kill within hours if left untreated. Humanitarian crises, which result, inter alia, in the disruption of water and sanitation systems and the displacement of the population to poorly equipped and overcrowded camps, increase the risk of cholera transmission if the bacillus is present or if it is introduced.
This threat falls on Ukraine not for the first time: in June last year, the port city of Mariupol, destroyed by battles and undermined by a lack of water, also risked becoming a hotbed of the epidemic, which Kiev alerted then. However, the cases have not been confirmed by WHO.
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Kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of destroying the dam, but the consequences are already devastating for nearby territories: many settlements are flooded, thousands of civilians have been hastily evacuated, and the authorities also fear an environmental catastrophe. In addition to water-related illnesses, floods can lead to injury, drowning and disruption of medical treatment, Teresa Zakaria said, explaining that all these risks will be controlled. According to Ukraine, five people have died and 13 have gone missing since the flood began.
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