Burundi: Disinfecting homes
18-07-2002 News Release 02/29
The population of some northern districts of the capital, Bujumbura, is suffering the effects of a cholera epidemic that has already caused four deaths since 17 June.
So far, more than 200 cholera cases have been confirmed and the number of cases reported daily has risen from 6 to 20. Confirmed cholera cases have also been reported in several provinces.
In response to the situation, the ICRC has set up a mobile team to disinfect the districts where the sick live. In one week the team has disinfected 1,500 homes. Teams from two international NGOs are also taking part in the disinfection activities.
In cooperation with MSF-Belgium, the ICRC has also installed two water tanks with a capacity of 15 cubic metres each in the affected part of the capital. An ICRC tanker truck regularly fills up the tanks, thus ensuring that the 10,000 people concerned (two thirds of whom are displaced persons from the surrounding countryside) can obtain drinking water in sufficient quantity.
The ICRC is coordinating its activities with the authorities and other humanitarian actors so as to ensure that the population's sanitation and water needs are met.