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| Cholera causing more deaths, experts urge vaccination |
| February 2011 |
The controversy re-emerged in Haiti when cholera broke out in October 2010 in the aftermath of the January earthquake that killed more than 250,000. The cholera epidemic has since made at least 105,000 people ill and killed more than 2,000.
Many experts oppose cholera vaccines, saying resources in an outbreak should focus on rehydrating the sick and providing safe water and improved sanitation.
In a package of papers published in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, they said mass vaccinations should be considered as a solution even after outbreaks have begun.
The cholera bacterium has undergone important mutations in recent years, causing longer outbreaks of the disease with increased fatalities.
Experts have differed over the usefulness of cholera vaccine once an outbreak has occurred, a debate reignited by the recent epidemic in Haiti.
Cholera is a global threat and remains a challenge to countries without safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. There are an estimated 3 to 5 million cholera cases and 100,000 tot 120,000 deaths due to cholera every year, according to the World Health Organization.
The Medical Export Group is specialised amongst others in suppling the DD (Diarrhoeal Disease) kit, which is now agreed upon by the major agencies working in cholera crisis situations. We always have some in stock.
The kit contains 4 modules. For preparedness purposes the WHO suggests to order a full kit and depending on the local situation separate modules can be ordered. Th full kit provides treatment for:
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100 severe cases of cholera
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400 mild or moderate cases of cholera
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100 patients affected by Shigella dysentery
The different modules are the following:
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the Basic Module, containing a combination of medicines, equipment for diagnosing a patient and for his first aid, protective materials such as gloves and aprons and various booklets on managing a cholera of shigellosis outbreak
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ORS module
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Infusions module, with Ringer lactate
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Support module, with e.g. buckets, water containers, chlorine tests and waste containers.
Would you be interested in the exact composition, please feel free to contact Mr. Klaas-Jan Koning at +31 183 356 100 or kj.koning@meg.nl. He can inform you about the details and stock positions.
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