Waterborne diseases surge among Vanuatu children after cyclones

Port Vila, Vanuatu – A month after Cyclones Judy and Kevin wreaked havoc and flooding across the Southwest Pacific Islands of Vanuatu, waterborne illnesses are on the rise among children in the capital, Port Vila, and in rural communities.

Hospitals and health facilities are struggling to cope with the surge in cases as they continue to repair the damage done to their facilities by the storms.

“Prior to the cyclone, we had a wave of acute gastroenteritis. That was two weeks before the cyclone. After the cyclone, numbers skyrocketed and increased. Initially, a third of the pediatric ward was filled with patients with acute gastroenteritis, but that has increased to 50 percent of the ward’s bed capacity,” said Dr. Al Jazeera.

The ward, which has beds for 22 children ages 13 and under, can now accommodate up to 30 sick young children. As more patients arrive every day, hospital management has been asked for additional space, Dr Thyna added.

The children’s wards of the hospital suffered serious damage during the disasters. “We had flooding in the children’s ward and it was not safe for the children. In the neonatal intensive care unit, the roof blew off, so we had to move the babies to a safe place. That in itself is a challenge with all the traumatic consequences for the parents and families,” said Dr Thyna.

Cyclones Judy and Kevin, which hit Vanuatu in early March, affected 80 percent of the Pacific island’s population of more than 320,000 people, including 125,500 children, according to Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Office.

On the island of Efate, where the capital is located, widespread damage and destruction of homes forced many people into temporary shelters and evacuation centers. Communities were left without electricity and clean water after the storms, leaving them more exposed to foodborne and waterborne illnesses.

It was clear that “It became increasingly difficult for families to access fresh water because electricity was not working in many parts and still is not working in all parts of Efate Island. Pumping water to homes was not reliable and potable and domestic water is not widely available to everyone,” Jack French, acting Country Director of Save the Children in Vanuatu, told Al Jazeera. The international non-governmental children’s organization assists with emergency relief, aid distribution and recovery on the island.

In the village of Erakor, on the south coast of Efate, electricity and piped water supply to the local health dispensary have been restored, but staff are trying to contain disease outbreaks under difficult conditions. The health clinic serves approximately 12,000 people in surrounding communities.

Berry, the head nurse, told Al Jazeera that in children “acute respiratory infections have increased, along with skin infections and gastroenteritis. The cases of gastroenteritis are mainly due to people eating food that has not been washed and hygiene practices that have gone down. Some children suffer from multiple infections.”

He added that they also faced a shortage of some medicines. “We are out of zinc tablets, which are used to treat gastroenteritis. The central medical store in the country is also out of tablets, so we are waiting for new supplies.”

Subsistence farming

Vanuatu has made significant progress in reducing the under-five mortality rate, at 23 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to a global average of 38 per 1,000, according to the World Bank. However, diarrhea remains a leading cause of death in young children worldwide, including in the Pacific Islands, UNICEF reports.

In one of the villages in the Erakor area, Rebecca told Al Jazeera that a shortage of water, food and shelter affected her life and that of her family, including seven grandchildren – the youngest just two years old.

In the village, 200 people live in 150 houses, of which 55 need to be repaired or renovated. Rebecca’s house consisted of two buildings, but one was destroyed. She lives in a partially completed shelter with 10 other displaced persons

“We share a rainwater tank with another family. The garden crops were destroyed. Some bananas survived, but they are gone now, so we will have to find money to buy food,” the 53-year-old told Al Jazeera. “And the kids have skin infections and diarrheal illness.”

Vanuatu is heavily exposed to extreme weather events and climate catastrophes. The World Health Organization has already warned of the health risks associated with climate change. In particular, cases of diarrhea increase during drought and extreme rainfall.

The disasters also affect the resources people need to access health services. “Vanuatu is a subsistence agricultural society and the money made from the agriculture that is sold is spent on transportation, taking children to school and paying to go to the health clinic. So with the destruction of many home gardens and local farms, the inability [of families] selling surplus agriculture will have an impact on health,” French said.

National recovery from the recent cyclones is expected to take several years. Restoring the country’s children’s health will require monitoring, local experts say.

French said resuming school was key to supporting children’s resilience. Regular health monitoring of babies is also a priority, added Sherold Sakita, Save the Children’s Early Childhood Coordinator.

“In terms of early childhood development, there is a challenge because not all children go to the maternal and child health clinic and we have identified children who have not had their vaccinations,” Sakita said.

The Department of Health hopes to launch a health screening program for schools so that a wide range of potential health problems can be identified at an early stage, Dr Thyna said. “It is a practical way of capturing issues that are overlooked by parents or that their children do not bring along for reasons [to health facilities].”