Exploring Youth Roles to Prevent Future Epidemics

Exploring Youth Roles to Prevent Future Epidemics
4th August, 2010


The WASH FORUM – an interaction programme launched by the ‘Paschim Paaila’ group was useful in sharing experiences and sensitizing youth to get involved in epidemics preparedness actions.
The last year’s Diarrhoea/Cholera Epidemic in Mid and Far-western parts of Nepal has been a great tragedy and should not be repeated this time. With the objectives to enhance the understanding of youth about Diarrhoea/Cholera epidemic scenario and present status in Nepal and to explore possible initiatives by youth to prevent future epidemics, a workshop on “Diarrhoea Epidemics of Nepal and Youth Initiatives Ahead” was organized in which more than 30 youth from different educational and professional background participated.
Birendra Man Shakya, from Department of Water Supply and Sanitation (DWSS), Makkhan Maharjan and Rajesh Adhikari from Environment and Public Health Organisation (ENPHO), Madhav Pahari from UNICEF Nepal shared their experiences on WASH emergency preparedness to sensitize youth and develop ideas for future endeavors to reduce diarrhea/cholera epidemics in Nepal.
The group work session on “initiatives of youths to prevent future epidemics” was facilitated by Rabin Bastola from WASH-RCNN and the WASH FORUM was coordinated by Phurba Sange Moktan.

(Source: http://www.nepal.watsan.net/page/686)

WASH preparedness in disaster management

WASH preparedness in disaster management

July 30, 2010

UNICEF organized third WASH Cluster meeting on July 29, 2010 at UNICEF Country Office to discuss on the progress on ongoing WASH preparedness intervention and identification of life saving intervention for Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) Fund. Different WASH Cluster members including Oxfam, Save the Children, Nepal Red Cross Society and Department of Water Supply and Sewerage shared about the ongoing WASH preparedness intervention in their working areas.  

Sharing that Central Emergency Response Fund—a multi-donor trust fund comprising 119 donors—has allocated US $ 500,000 for life saving WASH intervention from the total US $ 2 million provided to Nepal, Madhav Pahari, Lead-Wash Cluster requested all WASH cluster members to identify best and appropriate option for life saving interventions for CERF funding.

Sharing that door-to-door campaign, community awareness on safe drinking water and sanitation and effective media mobilization are the best options to prevent occurrences of water-borne diseases in the urban areas, Anil Sthapit, Director, GUTHI told to give continuity to such campaign to prevent diarrhoeal diseases. He shared that similar campaign had helped to reduce diarrhoeal cases in the past. Similarly, Dr. Suman K. Shakya, Executive Director, Environment and Public Health Organization informed that ENPHO in association with UN-HABITAT formed Paschim Paaila immediately after the first outbreak of diarrhoea epidemic in Jajarkot, Rukum, Surkhet, and Dailekh districts and sent 63 volunteers to the epidemic-hit regions. He further told that it was the vigor and willingness in youths that made a rapid response to the outbreak possible. “So, we must prepare more of such youths for immediate response to such epidemic in the future,” said Shakya. He informed that ENPHO has now the capacity to produce 2500 units of Piyush, chorine solution, per day.

Sharing that there are more than 20 water kiosks in a short distance of 2.5 km from Naradevi to Swoyambhu in Kathmandu, Executive Director of NGO Forum for Urban Water and Sanitation Prakash Amatya told that the urban population, mostly tenants, in the core areas are purchasing water from such informal water kiosks, who sell the water brought from private water tanker suppliers. “I think that there is need to carry out a quality survey of the water sold by such water vendors as this is the water the consumers are actually consuming,” said Amatya. “However, this survey is not intended to discourage such water vendors. This is just to get clear picture of the quality of water consumed by a large mass of urban poor and raise awareness on water quality and strategize the water treatment promotion at the household level,” he added. “We should seek support from the media and they can play a pivotal role to highlight the issue,” Amatya suggests.

(Source: ngoforum.net)

झाडापखालाको प्रकोप

झाडापखालाको प्रकोप
Editorial,
2nd July, 2010

हरेक वर्ष डुबानमा पर्ने नेपालगन्जका केही बस्तीहरू गणेशपुर, देवाफुल्बारी, घरबारी टोल, कोरियनपुर्बा, सल्यानीबाग र फुल्टेक्रा यसपटक डुबानमा मात्रै परेनन्, दूषित पानीका कारण यहाँ झाडापखालाको महामारी नै भित्रियो । दुई साताअघि आएको वर्षाले डुबानमा परेको बस्तीमा झाडापखालाले प्रकोपको रूप लिएको छ । झन्डै एक सातादेखि सुरु भएको झालापखाला अझै नियन्त्रणमा आउन सकेको छैन । बरु यस महामारीका कारण पाँच जनाको मृत्यु भइसकेको छ भने दर्जनौं बिरामी परेका छन् ।

नेपालगन्जस्थित भेरी अञ्चल अस्पताल र शिक्षण अस्पताल दुवैमा बिरामी खचाखच भरिएका छन् । दुवै अस्पतालमा एउटै बेडमा दुई तीन जनासम्म बिरामी राख्दा पनि नपुगेर बेन्च र भुइँमा सुताएर उपचार गर्नुपर्ने बाध्यात्मक अवस्था आएको छ । शनिबार मात्रै भेरी अञ्चल अस्पतालमा १ सय ३३ बिरामी भर्ना भए भने आइतबार बिहानैदेखि बिरामीको चाप बढेको छ ।

झाडापखाला दूषित पानीका कारण फैलिएको र उक्त पानीमा हैजाका कीटाणु हुन सक्ने अनुमान चिकित्सकहरूको छ । त्यसकारण सरकारका सम्बन्धित स्वास्थ्य सेवाका निकायहरूले यसलाई गम्भीरतापूर्वक लिनुपर्छ । हैजाको प्रकोपको पीडा कस्तो हुन्छ भन्ने हामीले यसअघि पनि बेहोरिसकेका छौं । पोहोरसाल झाडापखालाको महामारी फैलिएर मध्यपश्चिमका जिल्लाहरू जाजरकोट, रुकुममा दर्जनौं मानिसले अनाहकमा ज्यान गुमाउनुपरेको दृष्टान्त पुरानो भएको छैन । गाउँमा औषधि र स्वास्थ्यकर्मी नहुने र केन्द्रको राज्यले हैजा फैलिएको प्रारम्भिक दिनहरूमा नागरिकको स्वास्थ्यप्रति जिम्मेवारीबोध गर्न नसक्दा उक्त प्रकोपले भयावह रूप लिएको थियो । एक सालअघिको यो घटनालाई पाठका रूपमा लिँदै नेपालगन्जका यी बस्तीमा फैलिएको झाडापखालाको महामारी नियन्त्रण गर्नतिर केन्दि्रत हुनुपर्छ ।
नेपालगन्जको झाडापखाला प्रकोपमा सरकारले चासो देखाएको छ । नेपालगन्ज जनस्वास्थ्य कार्यालयले घुम्ती स्वास्थ्यटोली खटाएको छ भने स्वास्थ्य विभाग महामारी नियन्त्रण महाशाखाले हैजा परीक्षणका लागि विशेषज्ञसहतिको टोली त्यहाँ पुगेको छ । यद्यपि यो चासो पर्याप्त होइन । क्षेत्रीयस्तरको अस्पतालमा अहिलेसम्म पनि हैजाका कीटाणु परीक्षण गर्ने प्रविधि नहुनुले हाम्रो स्वास्थ्य सेवा निकायमा साधनस्रोतको कतिको अभाव रहेछ भन्ने उजागर गर्छ । त्यस्तै नागरिकहरू बर्सेनि एकातिर डुबानको मारमा पर्न विवश छन् भने उनीहरूको न्यूनतम र आधारभूत आवश्यकता सफा खानेपानीको समेत व्यवस्था भएको पाइँदैन । यो अवस्थामा एकातिर नेपालगन्जका बस्तीहरूमा स्वच्छ वातावरण र खानेपानीको दीर्घकालीन प्रबन्ध गरिनुपर्छ भने अहिले तत्कालका लागि सरुवा रोगको रूपमा रहेको झाडापखाला अन्यत्र बस्तीमा फैलिन नपाओस् भनेर विशेष ध्यान पुर्‍याउनुपर्छ ।
बाढी/डुबानको समय भएकाले अन्यत्र जिल्लामा पनि झाडापखाला फैलिन सक्ने डर हुन्छ । त्यसकारण सरकारी स्वास्थ्य सेवा जोखिममा रहेका अन्य जिल्लामा प्रकोपले रूप नलिँदै विभिन्न जनचेतनामूलक कार्यक्रमसहित केन्दि्रत हुनुपर्छ । नेपालगन्जमा फैलिएको झाडापखालको प्रकोपबाट जनतालाई बचाउनु र यसको नियन्त्रणलाई अहिले मुख्य प्राथामिकतामा राखिनु जरुरी छ । यसका लागि आवश्यक स्रोधसाधनको प्रबन्ध गरिनुपर्छ र प्रकोपका समयमा मात्रै स्वास्थ्य सेवा, जनचेतनाका कार्यक्रम लगेर पुग्दैन, सरकारले जनताका आधारभूत आवश्यकताको सूचीमा पर्ने स्वास्थ्य, खानेपानी, सरसफाइको उचित र उपयुक्त प्रबन्ध नियमित गर्नुपर्छ । हरेक वर्ष सरकारी बजेटमा यी शीर्षकमा रकम विनियोजन गरिएको हुन्छ । त्यसको सदुपयोग गर्दै यस्ता महामारी फैलिनुपूर्व बस्तीहरूमा पुगी सरकारले नागरिकको स्वास्थ्य अधिकारलाई सुनिश्चित गर्न सक्नुपर्छ ।

Source: e-kantipur