Environmental sanitation for the control of cholera in Lisungwi refugee camp, Malawi

Fear of a cholera epidemic that could have cost thousands of lives promted officials to think ahead, and plan for the inevitable cholera cases expected in Lisungwi Refugee Camp, Malawi. They took a number of control measures to limit the spread of the disease. These are outlined in the article and include, among others: chlorination of individual water supplies at water points to prevent contamination by hands or dirty containers; improved sanitary conditions and personal hygiene; regular cleaning and spraying of latrines, especially during an outbreak; health education; screening and isolation of people who have come in close contact with a cholera patient. Those infected with the disease were sent to a cholera camp, a special facility isolated from the rest of the camp, where very strict hygiene measures were enforced. These procedures, which were mainly carried out by sanitarians rather than by medical people, have proved to be successful in limiting the spread of the disease. Now there is a Cholera Camp in every refugee camp.