The official technician of the Health Emergencies Program of the World Health Organization (WHO), Teresa Zakaria, warned this Thursday (08) about the risk of cholera in the areas affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, in the Kherson region, Ukraine . .
“We have not recorded any cases of cholera in humans since the invasion of Ukraine began. That said, environmental samples show that the pathogen exists”Zakaria warned at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, adding that “it is a risk”.
The technician added that cases could be detected “at any time” and underlined the importance of vaccines to prevent the disease.
“We have been working closely with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to ensure that mechanisms are in place to import vaccines as soon as they are needed”he claimed.
“Activities continue knowing that the risk of cholera is present and with the flooding caused by the damage to the dam”he insisted, stressing that epidemiological surveillance of waterborne diseases had been intensified.
Teresa Zakaria said WHO is “trying to address a wide range of health risks associated with flooding, from injuries to drowning, waterborne illness and the potential consequences of interrupting chronic treatments”.
The WHO says it is monitoring “all risks” associated with the dam breach and assured it “stocks are mobilized to provide the best possible care”he said.
Zakaria warned that consideration is being given to the “full impact” of the dam’s destruction, not only in terms of flooding, but also in terms of cutting off drinking water supplies.
“I think we are facing a potentially large affected population. The dam serves a population of about 700,000 people. Downstream there are more than 30 sites at risk of flooding. I think the exact information and the exact magnitude of the impact has yet to be seen,” he argued.
As he recalled, the numbers currently indicate that “initially” 16,000 people are at immediate risk of flooding on the banks of the river and thousands have been evacuated, although he acknowledged that “this number can only grow”.
“I think it would be difficult and imprudent to put a single figure at this point, especially since we haven’t seen the full extent of the damage yet,” he stressed, reiterating the “multidisciplinary nature” of what happened .
According to the WHO expert, “there are populations at risk of flooding and at risk of drinking water interruptions. And then there is an even larger population at risk of having less access to food in the coming months.” , as agricultural land becomes completely unusable”.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that WHO will provide additional supplies in the coming days to strengthen access to health services.
The destruction of the dam caused widespread devastation and human suffering, caused severe flooding, displacement of communities and significant damage to infrastructure and the environment,” said the director-general, who called for “not to underestimate the impact on water supply, sanitation systems and public health services in the region”.
Source: DN
