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PublicationsInternational Activity Report 2011PhilippinesIn late September, typhoons Nesat and Nelgae hit the northern part of the Philippines, causing severe flooding and damage on the country’s main island of Luzon. A Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) emergency team of doctors, nurses and logisticians found that six low-lying areas in the hard-hit central province of Bulacan were in need of healthcare. The team set up mobile clinics and conducted more than 2,600 consultations with people affected by the floods in Bulusan, Meyto, Panducot, San Jose, Santa Lucia and Sapang Bayan. Travelling by boat and car to reach those in greatest need of assistance, staff treated people suffering from acute respiratory infections and children with malnutrition. They were also able to monitor for outbreaks of acute watery diarrhea and leptospirosis, a severe bacterial infection that is transmitted through contaminated water. In addition, the team tended to patients suffering from chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, whose treatment had been interrupted. Patients requiring lifesaving medical attention were transferred to the provincial hospital in Ministry of Health ambulances. In the town of Calumpit, in the southwest of the province, the district hospital had been damaged by the flooding. MSF helped the local health authorities to rehabilitate the hospital and donated drugs and equipment. The team also distributed 20,000 liters of drinking water and 2,450 jerry cans in three districts. To prevent the spread of disease, staff assisted in waste collection. After two weeks, and a vast improvement in the situation, MSF withdrew from Bulacan. At the end of 2011, MSF had 2 staff in the Philippines. MSF first worked in the country in 1987. |
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