The
Red Cross Red Crescent is supporting communities across the
Maldives to prepare for and reduce the impact of future threats
such as natural disasters and disease outbreaks.
In December 2006 the International Federation held a ‘mock’
emergency drill on Muli Island in the Meemu Atoll. Twenty-one
community representatives from 11 islands attended the exercise,
organized in cooperation with UNDP and the Maldives’ National
Disaster Management Centre, with the event seen by many as an
important step towards being prepared for future natural calamities.
For Ibrahim Mufeed, 60, the importance of such an exercise couldn’t
be more real. “This is the shirt I had on the tragic day
when the tsunami destroyed almost the whole eastern side of
this island,” he says, tugging at his bright yellow shirt.
“I hope and pray it never happens to us ever again.”
Following weeks of preparation, the mock drill allowed the islands’
newly formed Emergency Management Committee (EMC) to test their
response capacity. The EMC was able to quickly implement procedures
for rescue and evacuation as well as establish safe shelter
areas and perform basic first-aid and counseling.
“This is very emotional for me and I’m so grateful
that we are now getting prepared for such a situation,”
says Ibrahim.
However, communities in the Maldives are not just threatened
by natural hazards. Enza Mancuso, the International Federation’s
disaster management delegate in Malé, the capital of
the Maldives, says that communities are also highly vulnerable
to outbreaks of disease.
“The Federation’s community-based disaster management
programme addresses disaster preparedness and response, but
it also looks at community health promotion,” she explains.
“The programme was developed following a vulnerability
capacity assessment which identified, amongst other things,
the importance of dengue and chikungunya prevention and control.”
Outbreaks of dengue fever and chikungunya fever pose an increasing
threat to many people across the Maldives. Dengue is endemic
in the Maldives and over 6,000 cases of Chikungunya fever have
been reported since December 2006. Both are transmitted by mosquito
bite and neither can be vaccinated against. Preventative measures
are therefore the key.
The International Federation, led by its South Asia Regional
Delegation, has developed a community based approach for Dengue
and Chikungunya prevention, the first step being a ‘training
of trainers’ workshop. Community members from six atolls,
as well as representatives from the Department of Public Health,
the Vector Borne Disease Control Unit and the Red Cross Red
Crescent took part in the five day training session.
The workshop stressed the importance of education and awareness
raising within communities about how the diseases work, how
they are transmitted and what can be done by way of prevention,
with particular emphasis placed on the importance of clearing
potential mosquito breeding sites.
“The next step now is for participants to take what they
have learned back to their communities and to ensure that everyone
knows what to do in the face of disasters or disease,”
says Enza.
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Ibrahim
Mufeed at the Emergency Management Committee meeting during
mock drill in Muli. Ibrahim Mufeed (60 years old) leader
of the Shelter Management group was wearing a yellow t-shirt
that day when he said, “This is the shirt I had
on the tragic day when the tsunami destroyed almost the
whole eastern side of this island and disrupted the lives
of all of us. I hope and pray this never happens to us
ever again. This is a very emotional moment for me and
I’m so grateful that we are getting prepared for
such a situation." (p15334)
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Dengue
fever and chikungunya training workshop in Male', January
2007. With over 6000 chikungunya cases reported in the
Maldives from December 2006 to January 2007, the timing
of this training was apt and experts from the Department
of Public Health and Vector Borne Disease Control Unit
conducted sessions to train the participants on the modes
of transmission and breeding habits of vector-borne diseases,
signs and symptoms to look for as well as control, personal
prevention and treatment.
(p15336)
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Members
of the counselling taskforce looked after babies as well
as adults. (p15357)
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| Facilitators
and participants of the training workshop. The 19 participants
in this five day training workshop were community members
from six atolls, Department of Public Health, Vector Borne
Disease Control Unit, International Federation Maldives
Delegation, American, British and French Red Cross Societies.(p15335)
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