Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Magazine Ma | Page 8

NEWS in brief

Around Africa

Starting today, 94 000 people will be vaccinated in the
Minkaman camp, Awerial County, targeting displaced
people and host communities, followed by vaccination
campaigns in camps based in Juba, covering an additional
43 000 people.
Two doses of vaccine are required for an individual to be
protected. The campaign begins with an initial round of
vaccinations followed by - after a required 14 day interval - a
second round of doses, which will complete the vaccination.
For such a campaign to be effective, it is vital that a second
dose is administered and this factor has led to the decision
to begin with Minkaman, Awerial County, and Juba camps.
Water leaking
Apart from the good news of saving water by eliminating
unnecessary wastage, a big spin off of the project is job
creation.
The project will see about 200 youths being trained in basic
plumbing, which in return will create job opportunities
for them. The youth will fix leaking pipes in households,
schools and public buildings - helping to save millions of
rands spent by the city on water leaks.

“Minkaman camp in Awerial County and Juba camp have
been selected because of the relative stability of the situation
and easier access in those places,” says Dr Abdinasir
Abubakar, from WHO’s Disease Surveillance and Response
team, in South Sudan. “We are also looking at other camps,
and once the accessibility and security improves, we will
expand the cholera vaccination campaigns into these areas.
We will be reviewing the situation day by day.”

Speaking during the launch on Friday at Ikageng Community
Centre, Deputy Minister Mabudafhasi said R5 million has
been allocated for the project in the City of Tshwane. The
amount includes R3 million from the department and R200
million donated by Rand Water.
She said that the youth who will receive skills training will
attend a six-month course, offered by Rand Water at Rand
Water Academy. They will also get training on health and
safety, machine operation and moving vessels, amongst
others.
Cholera outbreak in the town of Yei, South Sudan

South Sudan

140 000 people to get cholera vaccine in South Sudan
WHO is working with the South Sudan Government and
partners to provide vaccines to protect nearly 140 000
people living in temporary camps in South Sudan against
cholera.
The vaccines come from an emergency stockpile managed
by WHO, the International Federation of the Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF) and UNICEF. It is the first time the stockpile, created
in 2013 by WHO, is being activated.
Although currently there is not a cholera outbreak, people
displaced by the recent conflict and living in the camps are
at risk due to poor sanitary conditions and overcrowding.
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January April 2014
Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • March - - February 2014

Why vaccinate against cholera?
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion
of contaminated food or water and affects children
and adults. It can kill in a matter of hours due to rapid
dehydration.
Children are at a higher risk of infection. Once infected,
in addition to dehydration, children develop severe
hypoglycaemia that can lead to coma and death. Similarly, ‘at
risk’ groups (for example malnourished people, the elderly,
pregnant women, people with severe chronic disease, AIDS
patients) are more likely to develop severe forms of the
disease.
Access to clean water and adequate sanitation remain the
mainstays of preventing both endemic cholera and cholera
outbreaks, together with health education to promote
the adoption of appropriate hygiene practices. Cholera