Medicines shipped to Zimbabwe as cholera crisis continues

Medicines shipped to Zimbabwe as cholera crisis continues

World Vision is continuing to help people affected by cholera in Zimbabwe by sending a shipment of urgently-needed medicines to the nation.

Working in collaboration with International Health Partners, the charity has been privileged to receive donated medicines from a number of UK healthcare companies.

The supplies of injectable water, antibiotics, saline solution and Ringer’s Lactate (used for fluid resuscitation) will help to set up ten cholera treatment centres in Zimbabwe.

The medical supplies have been donated by Baxter Healthcare, Ambe Medical and Pfizer and Wockhardt.

Cholera

More than 3,800 people have died from cholera and another 80,000 have become infected in Zimbabwe since October in an outbreak that has hit an already-suffering population.

As well as helping to equip the cholera treatment centres to treat 100 patients a month, the medicines will also be used to create 30 cholera kits, with each kit serving 50 people.

“We are very grateful to Baxter, Ambe Medical, Pfizer and Wockhardt for their extremely generous donation to help save people’s lives in Zimbabwe,” says Charles Badenoch, Chief Executive of World Vision UK.

“We need to get the supplies out there as soon as possible, and we’re asking the British public to help make this happen.”

Medicines for disasters

International Health Partners, the UK charity responsible for the national co-ordination of donated medicines for disasters, has assembled the requested supplies and arranged for their shipment through Aviation without Borders, a charity dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance through aviation services.

World Vision is one of the largest agencies working on the ground in Zimbabwe and is leading the cholera response in four out of ten provinces.

In a few areas, the situation seems to be improving, attributed to the work of aid agencies, who have supplied hospitals with IV fluids, drugs, medical supplies, staff and vehicles to help in the fight against the disease.

However, many thousands of people are still affected and World Vision continues to appeal to the UK public for help.

Rapid deterioration of the health delivery system, lack of adequate water supply, and lack of capacity to dispose of solid waste and repair sewer blockages have all been the main drivers of the current spread of cholera.

13 February 2009