Almost 9,000 patients with acute watery diarrhea have been treated in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and nearby areas since Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical teams and health authorities joined forces at the outset of the outbreak on Aug. 19.

“Thousands of lives were saved, due to a quick response and effective collaboration with health authorities, with 19 deaths out of 8,999 patients treated in the capital,” explains Karen Van den Brande, who coordinates MSF programs in Ethiopia. “Today, the outbreak is much less severe. From 700 admissions a day at the beginning of the outbreak, cases gradually decreased, stabilizing at about 150 to 180 patients daily.” 

Photo : MSF | In 2008, MSF organized and carried out a major measles vaccination campaign in Oromya, the largest region in Ethiopia.

If left untreated, people with acute watery diarrhea risk becoming severely dehydrated and dying. While the most extreme cases must be hospitalized and receive intravenous fluids, people who are moderately sick can be easily treated with oral rehydration salts.  

MSF set up nine treatment facilities within public structures throughout Addis Ababa. Additionally, 27 locations where people could receive oral rehydration salts allow medical staff to stabilize the more severe patients before they are transferred to one of the inpatient facilities. The more than two dozen rehydration points also allow medical staff to treat those not requiring hospitalization.  

Despite the positive trend in the containment of the outbreak, the risk of a resurgence of this highly contagious disease remains, especially where there are large concentrations of people.   

“Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are expected to attend the Meskel festival on Sept. 27,” continues Van den Brande. “We need to remain highly vigilant and prepared. MSF is part of a task force preparing to respond, helping authorities identify risk factors, in order to prevent a further outbreak during the religious festival.” 

Beyond Addis Ababa, MSF is also responding to acute watery diarrhea in two other regions: in Afar, in the north east, where more than 1,000 people have been treated since early July, and in Amhara region in the east.  

Additional staff have been sent to Ethiopia to assist the MSF teams already there.

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 Ethiopia: MSF teams respond to diarrhea outbreak - 02.09.2009 14:38