Djibouti: The story of a cholera epidemic, 1993-1994.

When two cholera epidemics broke out in Djibouti, respectively in 1993 and 1994, Bioforce was obliged to intervene. The first time, three goals were p ursued : setting up a rehydration centre in a tent organizing epidemiologic al surveillance and training local personnel in treatment and diagnosis tec hniques. The next year the epidemic followed serious flooding. The epidemio logical analysis showed that cholera had become endemic in the poor neighbo urhoods of the town and that epidemic break-outs were favoured by contamina ted surface water and disturbances in the distribution of drinking water. T he epidemic of 1997, likewise following flooding only confirmed this point of view.