EMERGENCY MEDICAL SUPPLIES ARRIVE IN MONROVIA TO STEM WORSENING HEALTH SITUATION

Press Release
H/2906

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SUPPLIES ARRIVE IN MONROVIA TO STEM WORSENING HEALTH SITUATION

NEW YORK, 25 April (WHO Liaison Office) -- The World Health Organization (WHO), together with several partner agencies, has succeeded in delivering fresh supplies of emergency medicines and equipment to the beleaguered Liberian capital of Monrovia, where fighting has left at least 1,450 persons wounded. Of particular concern is that, under the chaotic conditions, a recent outbreak of cholera in Monrovia could quickly spread and endanger the lives of large numbers of residents and displaced persons in the city. The most immediate priority is to ensure proper treatment of the large numbers of wounded in the city and its environs. Upwards of 1,000 wounded are reported in the Internally Displaced Persons compound in Greystone, where an estimated 15,000 people have taken refuge from the fighting. Another 450 wounded (including 100 children) are reported at the Soko Sackor Health Centre in the BTC military barracks, together with at least 350 cases of acute diarrhoeal cases that have resulted in 70 deaths, of whom 50 are children. Yesterday, a WHO consignment of emergency medicines was airlifted by helicopter from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to Monrovia, including surgical supplies, for treating the wounded. The WHO Country Representative in Liberia, Dr. Joseph Kamara -- who has remained in Monrovia throughout the fighting -- is working closely with the Ministry of Health, partner United Nations agencies and three local non-governmental organizations to distribute the new supplies to hospitals and health centres in Monrovia and re-organize emergency services. The WHO is also working to limit the spread of cholera and other infectious diseases in the city due to the hazardous water and sanitation conditions, and to strengthen locally available technical capacities to respond to epidemics. A second consignment of WHO supplies specifically for the treatment of cholera is currently en route to Freetown for transshipment. Oral rehydration solutions are critical for treating cholera and have been virtually unavailable in Monrovia since the widespread looting of relief agency warehouses two weeks ago. Without treatment, case fatality can be 50 per cent or higher. On Monday, a WHO team confirmed the presence of cholera in the BTC district of Monrovia, one of many areas where fighting had prevented access to relief officials attempting to assess the emergency health needs of the stricken population. Forty-seven cases have also been reported at the Internally Displaced Persons compound in Greystone.

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