Central African Republic - Since the declaration of a cholera outbreak in the Central African Republic (CAR) in the vicinity of the capital Bangui on August 10, IOM has been supporting the government to prevent it from spreading.

As co-lead of the Camp Coordination Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster, IOM is very conscious of the risk of the outbreak spreading to the city’s 26 displacement sites, which host over 49,000 people.

As part of the preventative actions coordinated by the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster, IOM has provided 16 facilitators, including two nurses, to support a sensitization campaign covering CAR’s entire southern border from Bangui to Congo Brazzaville – a distance of 180 kms.

“Early action to prevent a further spread of the disease is crucial, especially when considering the state of many of the displacement sites here in Bangui. Both CCCM and WASH activities have suffered from chronic underfunding,” said IOM Officer-in-Charge Anne Schaefer.

Within 24 hours, IOM had reached 13.6 percent of the population (598 of 4,440 people) in the border towns between the capital and Moungoumba, the border town with Congo Brazzaville, distributing Aquatabs and sensitization materials provided by UNICEF.

Access to some of the border communities is extremely difficult during the rainy season, as the roads are impassable and communities are reachable by boat only. IOM is also evaluating the need to set up emergency latrines in some border communities to improve hygiene standards.

IOM, with other humanitarian agencies in CAR, is urgently appealing for funding in order to expand its cholera prevention activities.

For more information please contact Anne Schaefer at IOM CAR, Tel: +23672187635, Email: aschaefer@iom.int