Brussels, 18 September 1995

Malaria and cholera in Nicaragua: the Commission funds medical aid

The number of cases of cholera reported this year in Nicaragua is already 77 percent higher than the toll last year, with all provinces affected. The Ministry of Health has declared a national emergency, and has launched an international appeal for aid. The European Union is responding with a grant of one million ECU.

The European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) will work with two Spanish non-governmental organisations, ACSUR Las Segovias and Movimiento por la Paz, la Libertad y el Desarme (MPDL) on a six-month programme of disease control.

The project will work on both prevention and cure. Eight hospitals in the capital, Managua, where conditions are particularly bad, will get medicines and medical supplies. Primary health posts in other parts of the country will also get medical supplies, including rehydration kits vital in treating cholera. The NGOs will pay particular attention to the needs of those most vulnerable to disease, namely children, the elderly and pregnant women.