[allAfrica.com]  [allAfrica.com_Top_Headlines]


Simple Diseases Kill IDPs - Report

The Monitor (Kampala)
NEWS
December 9, 2004
Posted to the web December 9, 2004

By Hudson Apunyo
Lira
Many people living in internally displaced persons' (IDPs) camps in Northern
Uganda continue to die of preventable and curable diseases, a report by the
Medicins Sans Frontiere (MSF) of November indicates.
A preliminary report, titled 'Internally Displaced Camps in Lira and Pader
Northern Uganda, A Baseline Health Survey', depicts the north as an area in
need of humanitarian emergency.
Mr Jan Peter Stellma, the Project Coordinator for MSF in Lira told The Monitor
on Friday that people continue to die of preventable diseases in big numbers.
"This is totally unacceptable. Something has to be done to improve hygiene," he
said. The survey was carried out in five camps in Lira and one in Pader where
the organisation is carrying on humanitarian activities.
They said other camps with less services were facing severe problems.
Stellma said people die from simple diseases like diarrhea and malaria which
can be prevented by good hygiene.
Crude mortality rate, according to the report is 2.79 per 10,000 per day, and
under five mortality rate is 4.33 per 10,000 per day.
Agweng IDP camp in Erute North, near the infamous Barlonyo, has the highest
crude mortality rate at 4.33 per 10,000 per day, and under five mortality at a
staggering 10.46 per 10,000 per day.
It has 26,989 people with 977 child headed houses.

   

  ==============================================================================
  Copyright © 2004 The Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica
                          Global Media (allAfrica.com).
  ==============================================================================