Mortality rate drops at Maslakh: WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday reported a significant decrease in mortality rates at the Maslakh internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in western Afghanistan. The subject of strong international concern over health conditions, an estimated 180,000 displaced persons have been living at the windswept camp since September 2000. "Mortality rates in February are substantially lower than in December," Dr Yusuf Hersi, WHO technical official for emergency humanitarian action told IRIN in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. "The numbers are decreasing which is encouraging," he maintained. According to the world health body, in December 2001, the crude mortality rate at Maslakh was 0.47 per 10,000 people, representing a death rate of approximately 50 persons per week. Since February, that figure has dropped to 0.2 per 10,000 or around 25 per week, Hersi explained. "Given conditions for IDPs and refugees, this is considered low," he said, adding when it reaches one per 10,000 the risk is high making this drop significantly noteworthy. The major causes of death are acute respiratory infections, especially in the winter, while in the summer, diarroheal disease is the main killer. Hersi attributed the decrease to a variety of measures taken by the international aid community. In addition to better general organisation, contributing factors include the establishment of more clinics inside the camp, night health services, an improvement of the provision of non-food items such as clothing and better shelter, the establishment of nutrition centres for malnourished children, as well as an improvement in sanitation. WHO has recently built 200 ventilated improved pit latrines (VIPs). "All of these services have had a positive affect on the overall health situation in the camp," he maintained. WHO plays a crucial role in coordinating amongst agencies and local authorities involved in IDPs health services at Maslakh. Located 20 km west of the provincial capital Herat, thousands of Afghans, mostly from western Ghor and Badghis provinces, live in the eight square-km camp, said to be one of the largest camps of its kind in the world.