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News for the Week of June 1, 1998

June 1, 1998

Powerful Earthquake Strikes Afghanistan. MSF Teams Arrive Within Hours

A major earthquake struck northern Afghanistan on Saturday, May 28, 1998, killing between 3,000-5,000 people. This is the second major quake since February, and is reported to have been much more devastating than the last. The quake, which measured 7.1 on the Richter scale, destroyed 60 villages. MSF teams based in northern Afghanistan reached the victims of this latest quake within hours. Low cloud cover, rain, and mist is hampering operations in the region, which lies along the Tajikistan border.

"This is an extremely poor population who have lost everything, and their prospects for the future are very sad," said Jacques Tremblay, the head of the northern Afghanistan mission. "They are in desperate need of international assistance to help them rebuild their lives," he added. "The local resources are very limited after so many years of war."

MSF has set up a basic clinic in Chah-i-Ab in the Rostaq area, and mobile clinics are collecting the wounded. Five helicopters are bringing supplies into the area and transporting the wounded to hospitals and clinics. The three areas most affected by the quake, Shar-i-Buzurg, Rostaq, and Chah-i-Ab are extremely remote-it takes 5 days to reach Shar-i-Buzurg from the nearest town. Rostaq, bore the brunt of February's quake, which demolished 14 villages and killed at least 2,500 people. MSF teams have remained in Rostaq supplying medical relief to the populations of those areas affected by the previous quake.

Food Crisis Continues in Southern Sudan

MSF teams continue to fight the food crisis in the Bahr el Ghazal province of southern Sudan to avert a widespread famine. The crisis, which began in February, is the result of both a poor harvest and Sudan's ongoing civil war, which has caused massive population displacements. Volunteers, working in close cooperation with local staff, are distributing food and providing health care to thousands of malnourished people. Since February, 12,515 children have been screened for malnutrition in seven MSF health centers in the region. Approximately 40 percent of the children have been found to be suffering from global malnutrition. The total number of children who are being assisted in supplementary feeding programs has increased approximately 400 percent in the last ten weeks. MSF teams made up of 45 international volunteers and 400 local staff members work in seven areas of Bahr el Gazal.

MSF will begin a feeding program next week in Leer, in the southern Sudanese province of Western Upper Nile. A recent nutritional survey found that 32.5% of the children in Leer are undernourished and 6.5% of them are severely malnourished. MSF has donated 120 metric tons of seeds to other aid organizations to be distributed in the region. The organization has also supplied planes to transport seeds and agricultural equipment, as well as supplementary food and other supplies. In the last few weeks, MSF has re-opened 13 primary health care units between Leer and Nimne and is supplying them with drugs and medical supervision. Earlier in the year MSF and other aid organizations were evacuated from this area because of insecurity.

Situation Worsens in Sierra Leone

Since April 6, 1998, 250 patients suffering from severe mutilations have been treated by an MSF surgical team working in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. The victims, including children, have arrived at the hospital with limbs or ears cut off, burns, and other traumas. MSF has evacuated 14 wounded people, 7 suffering from amputations, out of the eastern and central regions of Sierra Leone by helicopter. Teams are also monitoring children for malnutrition in these areas.

Attacks on civilians continue in the aftermath of February's ouster of coup leaders from the capital. MSF is concerned that the civilian population of rural Sierra Leone is without protection and vulnerable to further attacks. The organization is calling upon the international community to provide further protection and assistance to the people of Sierra Leone.

Cholera Still Rages Around the World

A global cholera epidemic has raged throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin and South America since last winter. MSF teams were instrumental in controlling these epidemics in numerous countries, although several new epidemics have recently appeared.

Tanzania:

More than 1,080 cholera cases, including 26 deaths were registered during the week of May 11 in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. Although, teams feared that the situation would grow worse due to problems with water and sanitation systems caused by rain, they were able to quickly control the situation. MSF has been working in Tanzania since 1996 improving access to local health care, with a strong focus on maternal/child healthcare.

Peru:

A cholera epidemic continues in Iquitos, Peru, where more than 180 cases were registered in the last two weeks. MSF is collaborating with authorities to bring the epidemic under control.

 

Tags: Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cholera

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