Cholera moves from country to country following the rhythms of conflicts and natural disasters: an analysis of the balance sheet of global spread

ROME – Cholera is moving rapidly from one country to another, driven by a dangerous mix of climate change, related disasters and conflicts. A new analysis of CARE Internationalpublished on April 7 on the occasion of the World Health Dayshows that this spread is affecting countries with high levels of gender inequality in an alarming manner, also because the most vulnerable people are always women and children.

The data released. “The number of countries afflicted by cholera grew by 28 percent in just one month, going from 18 in February to 23 on 22 March. The disease has now spread beyond African borders with further outbreaks across the Horn of Africa and the southern part of the continent, bringing to their knees countries that already have fragile health systems,” explained Sally Austin, Head of Emergency Operations Of CARE International.

Cyclone Freddy. It has recently hit several areas in southeast Africa, sowing death, destruction and causing waves of displaced people, in this way communities are even more exposed to epidemics such as cholera. Malawi, for example, was already facing its worst cholera crisis in decades, but now, following the passage of the cyclone, the number of people becoming infected and in some cases even dying is growing day by day.

The assessment of the World Health Organization. This seventh cholera pandemic, which has escalated since mid-2021, is characterized by multiple outbreaks and worrying death rates and has spread to areas once immune to this type of disease, such as Syria and Lebanon, according to the WHO. . CARE International draws on data from the database INFORM Risk he was born in Gender Inequality Index and shows that all countries currently affected by cholera have high rates of gender inequality and infant mortality, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. 74 percent of countries with high rates of the disease are experiencing conflict or are on the verge of a crisis, such as Somalia and Haiti. 61 percent are more exposed than others to natural hazards such as tropical storms, floods and droughts, such as Malawi and Mozambique.

The most vulnerable. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are more prone to malnutrition and to developing fatal complications if they contract cholera. Traditional societal roles also play their part. Women who fetch water, cook and clean toilets in African states are more likely to come into contact with the virus. In addition, 70 percent of the health personnel involved in epidemics are women. Mortality is also higher among children, especially those under five and those who already have symptoms of acute malnutrition.

Disaggregate the data. According to the analysis of CARE International to adequately address the problem and offer the right humanitarian response, the data should be read differently. Take, for example, the case of Haiti. To say that there are 11 million people in Haiti at risk of contracting cholera is not the same as knowing that some 300,000 of them are pregnant women. Especially considering that Haiti already has the highest maternal mortality rate among South American countries, explains Martin Dickler, director of CARE in the Caribbean state. Disaggregating data is therefore the only way to deal with the humanitarian emergency, because only by knowing the exact gender, age or degree of disability of a person at risk can the right answers be identified.