ASEP CHIKUNGUNYA EMERGENCY RESPONSE, BELED XAAWO SOMALIA
From the end of 2015 to early 2016 incidences of Chikungunya outbreaks were reported across Gedo region of Southern Somalia and Mandera County in the north eastern parts of Kenya. Besides Chikungunya, there was also an ongoing outbreak of cholera from the beginning of April 2016 in both Mandera and Beled Xaawo areas. The two outbreaks exerted heavy pressure on the medical services in both Beled Xaawo and Mandera and as a result massive populations were affected by the two outbreaks occurring at the same time.
The situation was very severe in Beled Xaawo since the area didn’t have a health facility capable of handling disease outbreaks.
ONE OF THE TRAINEES WITH PPE DURING A PRACTICAL SESSION
The only health facility in Beled Xaawo also lacks adequate medical personnel equipment and essential drugs. In addition to these challenges faced’ Chikungunya was a relatively new disease in the area that was not well understood by the local health staff and community. Its quick spread within the population resulted in high morbidity thus affecting all spheres of life such as economic productive activities, education and even social functions of the community in the area.
ASEP which is based in Beled Xaawo was therefore moved by the situation and had to make an emergency appeal for funds to be used in the efforts of controlling the Chikungunya outbreak in its project area .The appeal to respond to this emergency was undertaken through the collaborative efforts of the German Humanitarian Assistance through arche nova we were able to carry out emergency relief interventions in Belet Xaawo
A TRAINING DEMONSTRATING HOW SPRAYING OF A WALL IS DONE
The following strategies were used for the purpose of the Chikungunya emergency responses activities in Beled Xaawo:-
- Sensitization of community leaders
- Joint planning with ASEP team
- Identification of chemicals for IRS
- Procurement of PPE and chemicals for IRS
- Training of sprayers
- Implementation of IRS
- Procurement and distribution of brochures
- Radio talk