More diarrhoea cases in Port Loko

Health officials reported 781 cases of diarrhoea within a 14-day period in the northern district of Port Loko, the UN Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Unit of Sierra Leone (HACU) said in its situation report of 10-23 October. Preventive measures suggested by health workers included relocating the District Health Team immediately to Port Loko town, reopening the town’s hospital and setting up a therapeutic feeding centre. HACU said a mobile clinic was being organised to service the population. The health situation in Sanda Magbolontho, a chiefdom in the district, is reported to be desperate, as it is without minimal health facilities. Moreover, HACU said, the area cannot be reached because its ferry service has broken down. As a result, the population there has been without any relief help since December 1998.