(Geneva) Health surveillance has been increased after the destruction of a dam in Ukraine, where the cholera bacillus is present in the environment although no case has yet been detected, the WHO said on Thursday .
Following massive flooding caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine, “epidemiological surveillance of water-borne diseases is being stepped up”, an operations manager said. emergency at the World Health Organization, Teresa Zakaria, in a press conference.
According to the WHO, no case of cholera has been observed in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. However, said Mme Zakaria, “samples taken from the environment show that the pathogen is present there, which constitutes a risk”.
“So we could start detecting cases at any time,” she insisted, and “we are working closely with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to ensure that mechanisms are in place to allow the importation of vaccines as soon as they are needed.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacillus Vibrio cholerae. This extremely virulent disease can kill within hours if left untreated.
Humanitarian crises, which result in particular in the interruption of water supply and sanitation systems and the displacement of populations in poorly equipped and overcrowded camps, increase the risk of transmission of cholera, if the bacillus is present or if introduced.
Kyiv and Moscow blame each other for the destruction of the dam, but the consequences are already devastating for the surrounding areas: many villages have been flooded, thousands of civilians hastily evacuated and the authorities also fear an ecological disaster.
In addition to water-related illnesses, floods can cause injuries, lead to drowning and disrupt treatment, said Ms.me Zakaria, explaining that all these risks would be monitored.