- Fifteen million Ethiopians are facing a deadly malaria
epidemic, according to a warning issued by the UN on Wednesday. This new
development comes in the wake of an unprecedented and complex humanitarian
crisis hitting the impoverished country, leaving 13 million people in need
of food aid.
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- "The risk of death spread by malaria mosquitoes
looms in millions of homes in Ethiopia," the UN Country Team announced
in its emergency warning. It said "thousands of deaths" could
occur, because those under threat were already weakened by months of drought
and hunger.
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- Poor rains last year country-wide resulted in the loss
of nearly one-fifth of the harvest. This year, however, Ethiopia received
satisfactory rains from June until September, which, analysts predict,
will result in a good harvest.
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- But humanitarian organisations have noted that the rains
have left pools of stagnant water, which have provided a fertile breeding
ground for mosquitoes. "Women and children are particularly susceptible
to malaria this year because of the drought," said Bjorn Ljungqvist,
head of the UN Childrenís Fund in Ethiopia. "We estimate that
potentially 15 million are threatened by this deadly disease. That is why
we are urgently appealing to the international community to avert a major
malaria epidemic," he said in the capital, Addis Ababa.
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- Malaria is one of the biggest killers in Ethiopia, usually
claiming 100,000 lives each year out of a population of 70 million. All
forms of malaria are life-threatening, the most deadly being cerebral malaria,
caused by the parasite plasmodium falciparum and able to kill an individual
within three to four days if left untreated, according to Dr Demene Aliu
of the disease surveillance section World Health Organisation.
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- In its emergency warning, the UN noted that the country
did not have enough drugs to treat the large number of people likely to
be infected as the epidemic unfolded. "In a normal transmission year,
up to 5 million cases are reported annually throughout Ethiopia. However,
this year there has been a long dry season followed by higher than normal
rainfall patterns. Therefore, conditions are favourable for prolific mosquito
breeding. The population is also more susceptible due to prevailing drought
conditions in the country," it said.
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- "This, combined with a relatively low transmission
rate over the past four years, has created the right mix for a major epidemic
this year. This increase could lead to thousands of deaths if appropriate
measures are not taken to reduce malaria transmission and treat malaria
cases," it added.
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- The Ethiopian health ministry was unavailable for comment.
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