The situation in Koukou Angarana, Sila province, Chad, and the surrounding area, remains critical after devastating floods on 9 August. The floods displaced thousands of people, destroyed homes and left health centres unable to function. The likelihood of another major flood is decreasing, but the needs left from 9 August are not.
Urgent needs not being met
Forced from their homes because of the floodwaters, people have now set up sites where food, water and sanitation services, shelter reinforcement, and access to healthcare, are their urgent needs.
“The living conditions of displaced people in Koukou are extremely difficult,” says Julie Melichar, project coordinator. “They are exposed to risks of epidemics given the lack of drinking water, people living on top of one another in the camps, and the absence of health facilities.”
People are living in makeshift shelters. There are very few blankets, including for young children and pregnant women. The tarpaulins used for tents are insufficient and often in poor condition. With repeated rains and storms, the lack of physical protection promotes the development of diseases like acute respiratory infections and malaria.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has set up a health post where we provide basic healthcare. Between 14 August and 9 September, we carried out 1,850 health consultations. Over 340 people had acute respiratory tract infections, 265 tested positive for malaria, and more than 220 were treated for diarrhoea. Our team also provided antenatal consultations to 232 pregnant women.
Fonte original msf.org
