(ERGO) – After living in Dadaab refugee camp complex since he was a teenager and witnessing numerous disease outbreaks, Jibril Jimale Yabarow, 43, thought he had breathed his last when he fell sick with cholera at the end of last month.
Jibril, who is the leader of Hagadera camp’s D-9 section housing 340 families, told Radio Ergo’s local reporter that he started getting diarrhoea and feeling generally weak whilst at home on 21 December.
He called the ambulance and was rushed to the hospital run by the NGO, International Rescue Committee (IRC). He was already aware of the outbreak of cholera within the camp and knew about the services available.
“When I came here thank God, I got the help I needed. I was put on a rehydration drip, and I got help throughout that night,” said the father of seven. “I had no energy ay all, and I was in great pain. I thought I was dying and called my family to say goodbye! But now I can speak about it.”
Jibril said that having lived in Dadaab for 30 years and seeing several cholera outbreaks, he never fully understood the dangers of the disease until his own frightening illness.
He now actively shares information with his family, friends, and other members of the camp. Health workers have been distributing information about cholera which he said helped him quickly to identify his symptoms and to call the emergency services.
IRC has set up a cholera isolation ward in the hospital to deal with the growing number of patients coming in. The NGO reports that 622 patients, many of them children, have contracted cholera in the past two months with three confirmed deaths.
IRC Community Health Programme Officer, Yusuf Ahmed Aden, said cholera cases are increasing by the day. Some of the patients arriving at the hospital are young children who are malnourished, making them more vulnerable.
“IRC is dealing with the cholera outbreak and raising awareness among the people about hygiene so as to prevent the spread of the disease. We also advise patients to come to the hospital for treatment,” Yusuf said.
“The cholera cases are prevalent in Ifo and Dhagahley camps, where many refugees are still arriving, but the figures we have show that Hagadera camp has the highest number of infections. Just today we had 57 cases compared to 25-30 people in the other camps.”
Cholera has affected children more than other age groups, with two of the deaths being children.
Nadifo Bitow Malow took her son Feysal, aged three, to the hospital on 18 December after noticing symptoms that she thought must be cholera.
“I knew when he vomited twice and had diarrhoea, and he was getting weak, I knew he had the disease. I took him and he was admitted to the emergency area, and now his condition is improving,” she said with relief.
“When we arrived here, we very worried, and now he has been treated. He was put on drips and had ORS (oral rehydration salts) until the diarrhoea stopped. When you get this disease other diseases can easily attack your body,” she said.
After four days in the hospital with Feysal, Nadifo was informed that her eight-year-old daughter was also sick and joined them in the cholera ward for similar life-saving treatment.
Camp residents blame the poor sanitation for the rapid spread of this disease. Nadifo, who came to Dadaab in 2011, said they only got 60 litres of water every two days, which is only enough for cooking and drinking. Maintaining good hygiene was a problem.
Jibril also said that the toilets were full and local NGOs had no funds to build additional latrines.
“The sanitation is very poor because the toilets are dirty and full. I believe that the toilets have caused the spread of this disease. Most of the toilets are full so we don’t go to the toilet regularly,” he said.
Since April 2022, around 20,000 new refugees from Somalia have arrived in Dadaab although basic services such as toilets and access to water have stagnated. Children and adults defacate in open areas exacerbating health hazards and leading to the increase in cholera cases.
“Every time there is an influx of new refugees joining the camp because of conflict or drought, there is a higher risk of disease. Diseases like measles, polio, and cholera are caused by many people living in small areas without good sanitation,” Yusuf said.
