Guinea-Bissau |
Disaster Assistance at a Glance
Recent Disaster Declarations:
Cholera
OFDA Response:
Water, sanitation, and hygiene activities
OFDA Preparedness:
Disaster preparedness, capacity building
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Cholera, 09-18-2008
From mid-May to September 2008, cholera spread from the Tombali region to all of Guinea-Bissau’s 11 regions, particularly affecting the capital city, Bissau. On September 3, an in-country team of epidemiologists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported approximately 900 new cases per week, with a fatality rate of nearly 20 percent. According to the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as of September 15 the outbreak had resulted in more than 6,200 cases and 119 reported deaths. The CDC indicated that the lack of commercially available options to treat water systems hampered the effectiveness of containing the outbreak, and the Government of Guinea-Bissau called for urgent assistance.
On September 17, U.S. Ambassador Marcia S. Bernicat declared a disaster due to the cholera outbreak. In response, USAID/OFDA provided $100,000 through the U.S. Embassy in Dakar to UNICEF for school-based interventions aimed at lowering the risk of contamination, including improvements to school sanitation facilities and provision of disinfected water.
For information on additional USAID disaster responses, please see OFDA Annual Reports.
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