Cholera claims two lives, malaria fatalities reported

TWO cholera patients have died at Engela hospital, while 123 cases of suspected cholera have been reported in the Ohangwena Region.

At the same time, six deaths and at least 724 cases of malaria have been reported in two northern regions since November. This was said by the Director of Health in the region, Kaino Pohamba, when she briefed Health Minister Richard Kamwi during his visit to the Engela Hospital on Wednesday.She said 44 suspected cholera patients had been admitted to Engela Hospital since February 23, of whom eight were confirmed to have cholera.Suspected cholera patients are being isolated in a tent camp at the Ohangwena Clinic, about five kilometres from Engela.Minister Kamwi, accompanied by Defence Minister Charles Namoloh, Unicef Country Representative Madhavi Ashok and World Health Organisation Country Representative Magda Robalo, visited Engela Hospital and some nearby clinics on Wednesday to assess the impact of the flooding and the cholera outbreak.Kamwi and his delegation visited the cholera patients in hospital and inspected the temporary bridge put up by Pakistani businesspeople at Ongwediva to restore the road link to Engela.Pohamba told the meeting that the floods had made access to health facilities in the region very difficult.The roads between Ohaingu, Engela and Omafo have been washed away; the road between Odibo Health Centre and Oshikango is impassable; and the road connecting the Ohangwena Clinic to the main road has been washed away, she said.Both roads to Eudafano clinic have been damaged, and the Ongenga, Omungwelume, Okambebe and Endola clinics are only accessible via the Ondangwa-Oshakati road.According to Pohamba, 24 out of 36 health outreach points are no longer operating.Added to the problems are a lack of 4X4 vehicles and boats and a shortage of doctors, nurses and pharmacists.The Director of Health in Oshana, Dr Naftali Hamata, said although many cases of diarrhoea had been reported in Oshana and Omusati, none of them had been diagnosed as cholera.He said 137 malaria cases had been reported in Oshana since November, but no deaths.Omusati had 587 cases with six deaths.Minister Kamwi thanked everyone who has rendered assistance to the flood relief effort.He said Dr Hamata had been appointed as the chief co-ordinator of the response to the cholera outbreak.He will report to the Permanent Secretary of Health, who will then report to the Minister.The Minister said health experts from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe would assist the Ministry of Health in the North in its response.Kamwi called upon the regional health directors to see to it that water-purification tablets are provided to hospitals and clinics to be distributed among the people.He also urged people not to use insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets for fishing, because the chemicals in these nets can be very dangerous to people.This was said by the Director of Health in the region, Kaino Pohamba, when she briefed Health Minister Richard Kamwi during his visit to the Engela Hospital on Wednesday.She said 44 suspected cholera patients had been admitted to Engela Hospital since February 23, of whom eight were confirmed to have cholera.Suspected cholera patients are being isolated in a tent camp at the Ohangwena Clinic, about five kilometres from Engela.Minister Kamwi, accompanied by Defence Minister Charles Namoloh, Unicef Country Representative Madhavi Ashok and World Health Organisation Country Representative Magda Robalo, visited Engela Hospital and some nearby clinics on Wednesday to assess the impact of the flooding and the cholera outbreak.Kamwi and his delegation visited the cholera patients in hospital and inspected the temporary bridge put up by Pakistani businesspeople at Ongwediva to restore the road link to Engela.Pohamba told the meeting that the floods had made access to health facilities in the region very difficult.The roads between Ohaingu, Engela and Omafo have been washed away; the road between Odibo Health Centre and Oshikango is impassable; and the road connecting the Ohangwena Clinic to the main road has been washed away, she said.Both roads to Eudafano clinic have been damaged, and the Ongenga, Omungwelume, Okambebe and Endola clinics are only accessible via the Ondangwa-Oshakati road.According to Pohamba, 24 out of 36 health outreach points are no longer operating.Added to the problems are a lack of 4X4 vehicles and boats and a shortage of doctors, nurses and pharmacists.The Director of Health in Oshana, Dr Naftali Hamata, said although many cases of diarrhoea had been reported in Oshana and Omusati, none of them had been diagnosed as cholera.He said 137 malaria cases had been reported in Oshana since November, but no deaths.Omusati had 587 cases with six deaths.Minister Kamwi thanked everyone who has rendered assistance to the flood relief effort.He said Dr Hamata had been appointed as the chief co-ordinator of the response to the cholera outbreak.He will report to the Permanent Secretary of Health, who will then report to the Minister.The Minister said health experts from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe would assist the Ministry of Health in the North in its response.Kamwi called upon the regional health directors to see to it that water-purification tablets are provided to hospitals and clinics to be distributed among the people.He also urged people not to use insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets for fishing, because the chemicals in these nets can be very dangerous to people.