The Cholera Awareness and Responsibility (C.A.R.E) Project

BACKGROUND

Cholera is a serious diarrheal infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the tiny germs Vibrio cholera. Your food or water can we contaminated when they are no properly prepared, or close to dirty places like the gutters, toilets or dump site. Your food and water can also be contaminated with germs when someone with the infections touches your meal. Cholera may be asymptomatic or mild or severe. Acute watery diarrhea with severe dehydration are the hallmark of severe cholera infection. Vomiting which is a prominent manifestation may not always be present.

Owing to the large infectious dose transmission occurs almost exclusively via contaminated water or food. The source of this contamination is impure water used to wash or flush vegetables and fruit. Water contamination via sewage or soil that is used to fertilize crops.

In children the primary signs are similar to that of an adult. However, severe infection in children presents with signs that are rarely seen in adults. A child with cholera is often drowsy, febrile, and may have convulsions.

ABOUT CARE PROJECT

The Cholera awareness and responsibility project sponsored by The Pollination Project was initiated on the basis of high incidence and prevalence of cholera in Nigeria in 2021. 2,323 deaths from 69,925 suspected cholera cases with Abuja being the most endemic zone. A total of 1,286 cases and about 77 deaths from June to August 2021 in Abuja.

TIME-FRAME

The C.A.R.E project is slated run to from February till June 2022 in Kpoto and Kuje communities in Abuja with women and girls as our target population.

The utmost objective of the C.A.R.E project is to reduce the incidence and prevalence of cholera particularly in under served communities thereby fostering healthier communities free from epidemics of Cholera. Furthermore, we aim to break the chain of inter-community transmission of cholera and hopefully inspire the replication this project in other state which will ultimately lead to the eradication of the disease in Nigeria.

To achieve our goal, the following strategy will be executed:

• An awareness campaign which will involve door to door sensitization and tutoring of women/girls on how to prevent cholera, the importance of environmental sanitation, symptoms of cholera and the local first aid to deploy if cholera is suspected.
• Provision of educational materials translated to their local dialect which can serve as a reference for them.
• Demonstration of effective handwashing, preparation Oral Rehydration Solution(ORS) and water purification for home use.
• Distribution of free domestic water purification chemicals, ORS sachets and liquid soaps to residents of the community in order to facilitate water hygiene, use of ORS to prevent dehydration and hand washing.

The C.A.R.E project is to run from February till June 2022. We aim to have achieved the following objectives by the set timeline;

• Reduce the incidence of Cholera by at least 60% in Kpoto and Kuje communities by the end of April 2022.
• Increase the knowledge about Cholera and prevention by at least 75% by the End of March 2022.