The floods that occurred in Libya on the night of Sunday September 10 to Monday September 11 caused the death of thousands of people – the toll remained uncertain on Monday September 18. But after the destruction caused by the floods, another risk appears, that of a “second devastating crisis in the region”, estimates the United Nations (UN): the spread of diseases.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Red Cross point out that “dead bodies from natural disasters and conflicts generally do not pose a health risk.” But in the Libyan case, this risk is real to the point of constituting the second challenge for humanitarian aid, after the search and rescue of survivors.
“It is not the corpse but the water” which constitutes a health risk, replies Claire Nicolet, deputy emergency manager for Médecins sans frontières (MSF). “The belief that corpses cause epidemics is not supported by any evidence. We see too many cases where the media and even some health professionals are wrong on this issue,” adds Pierre Guyomarc’h, head of the medico-legal unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross, in the joint press release from WHO and the Red Cross.
In reality, it is the consumption of stale water, or even its simple contact with the skin, which can lead to diarrhea and diseases such as hepatitis A, leptospirosis or typhoid fever, according to a list established by the WHO in 2005, “because bodies can leak excrement and contaminate water sources,” the two organizations said. Claire Nicolet reports that the ten MSF humanitarian workers present in Libya have already reported forty-four cases of diarrhea. These infections “can be fatal for children under five.” Diarrheal diseases caused the deaths of 1.5 million people in 2019, ahead of diabetes.
In Libya, the risk of an epidemic is taken seriously by humanitarian actors and the Libyan Ministry of Health, assures Ms. Nicolet: water samples are taken and analyzed, and donations of water bottles have been made . These measures correspond to the recommendations of the WHO, which considers that “the risk of an outbreak [epidemic] can be minimized [if] it is fully recognized and that the provision of clean water is one of the priority measures” .
Contaminations have still been recorded. As of Saturday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs counted fifty-five children poisoned by drinking water. Al-Jazeera reports that the city’s “water network is worn out and has not been maintained or renewed for years,” like the Derna dams.
Also, the issue of water for hygiene purposes is essential because contaminated water can also cause skin diseases. To prevent the risk, it is necessary to “have access to water points for washing and relieving oneself”. The World Health Organization considers it “vital to strengthen surveillance and control of infectious diseases, particularly for the estimated 35,000 people displaced by the crisis.”
Cholera, which is particularly deadly and highly contagious – you can die within a few hours if left untreated – has already been detected in Libya “years ago and not in large numbers”, assures Claire. Nicolet. Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, an estimated 10,000 deaths were attributed to cholera in 2016.
Due to lack of personnel and equipment, Libyan health centers have closed. Humanitarians and the United Nations have already confirmed their intention to restore the functioning of these establishments. The WHO estimates that “more than half of the health establishments in the affected areas are no longer functional” and has announced that it has sent almost 60 tonnes of medical supplies to compensate for these deficiencies.
If the health supply is lacking, in this country affected by political chaos after the death of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the significant mobilization of Libyans, including those from other regions, is exceptional for Claire Nicolet. Separately, UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) provided emergency medical kits to primary care services, and other UN agencies distributed basic relief kits, plastic sheeting , cooking equipment and food for several thousand families.
