Four days after the deadly floods and landslides that left more than 400 dead in Sierra Leone, the capital Freetown, is facing another threat; the outbreak of diseases like malaria and cholera.
Sierra Leone threatened by a health crisis after deadly floods
Dead bodies still being found in flooded houses are contaminating water and new cases of diarrhea and fevers prove the serious risk of a health crisis.
Ali Kamara, a resident in the city’s suburb Lumley, trying to help victims appealed for government support.
“At the moment, we do not have clothes to wear, we have no place to sleep, we do not even have water to drink, so we need help from the government. We cannot remove the bodies and the building is demolished, and somebody has to come and pull the corpses from there. We need the help of the government”.
The tragedy’s death toll had been put at more than 400 by Thursday, Africa’s worst weather disaster in twenty years.
Two cholera related cases have already been reported and the Red Cross is on the ground.
The secretary general of Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, Constant Kargbo said they are striving to clean up the affected areas.
“On the washing aspect we have to clean the areas.We have control staff and infection prevention that will clean up to prevent the spread of the disease and we also intend to distribute water taps for people to access clean water to drink”, Kargbo.
Following a call for donations, Beijing has promised a million dollars.
The European Union provided an initial 350,000 dollars for emergency assistance.
Israel and West African countries have provided some funds and basic needs.
Sierra Leone is still recovery from the Ebola crisis and a long civil war.