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Crisis deepens as first death from cholera is confirmed

Mozambique has already confirmed one death from cholera, which has spread across the central city of Beira. The numbers affected by the water-borne disease have risen sharply after the cyclone damaged the city’s water system when it made landfall on March 14. According to reports, the government has now set up emergency clinics across the city in a bid to deal with the outbreak. Nine cholera treatment centers with 500-bed capacity are already admitting patients. At the same time, an oral vaccination campaign for 900,000 people has started to prevent the outbreak.

Fighting water-borne diseases with NRS Relief’s Aquatainers

Cholera is caused by an infection of the Vibrio cholera bacteria, and manifests itself with symptoms such as severe diarrhea, stomach cramps and vomiting. Multilateral agencies and non-governmental agencies are working hard on the ground to combat the cholera outbreak. Through a variety of strategies, the bacteria can be killed and the water made safe to drink. These include boiling, filtering and treatment with chlorine tablets. Only then can it be used for drinking, washing and cooking. However, once water has been treated it is vital that it is stored safely and hygienically.

At our factory in Lahore, Pakistan, we manufacture high-quality jerry cans and water buckets – Aquatainer 10L (UNHCR/ICRC/IFRC Standard), Aquatainer 20L (ICRC/IFRC Standard) and Pura Water Bucket 14L (ICRC/UNHCR Standard). Made from food grade LDPE without toxic elements, our jerry cans come with built-in handles for carrying and storing clean water and are designed for refugees and internally displaced people in camps.

In disaster zones such as Mozambique, it is important that the jerry cans are rugged enough to survive tough environments. Our Aquatainers are impact resistant and can withstand low winter temperatures to -20C, and extreme summer highs of +50C. They are also lightweight and collapsible, which means that shipment is both easier and more cost efficient and can even be air freighted in the most urgent situations.

Huggy tents to accommodate cholera patients

The multipurpose tents which we supplied to humanitarian organizations responding to the crisis are now in the field to serve as treatment centers for cholera patients. This is in addition to the Huggy 72 tent we recently spotted in in Beira, where displaced children can play, learn and socialize in a safe and friendly space.

Our 24/42/72 sqm Huggy tent series is a rectangular framed tent that is waterproof, fire retardant and lightweight. Designed to act as temporary schools in emergency situations, the tent’s high ceilings, oversized windows and great ventilation also serves as an effective structure to accommodate suspected and confirmed patients hit by cholera.

Contact us now

To date, we have 70,000 water containers and 250 multipurpose tents in our emergency stock warehouse in Pakistan, which are ready to be shipped at a moment’s notice. For your quotation and shipment requests, please contact bdm@nrsinternational-fzco.com.