The chant is loud and boisterous, full of energy and fun.
We are suddenly surrounded by a team of young boys who have just won a soccer match and have a large trophy they are holding high and proud, one which they thrust out to us for a small donation, a local tradition for a job well done. Smiling and laughing they move on, cherished trophy in hand.
It’s a stark contrast to the building we are outside of, a special treatment centre for cholera patients. Before you go inside they spray your shoes with disinfectant and you have to scrub your hands well, every precaution here is important. Once inside, it is quiet and dim, most of the light coming from tall windows.
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It reveals a dozen people huddled under thin blankets, some sleeping, others gazing listlessly at nothing. Sadly, all have cholera, but fortunately all of these patients have come for treatment early enough that they will survive. Those who were well enough to talk to us were obviously relieved to be getting better. One young man spoke of thinking he was going to die, saying he felt like he “was not in this world” when the cholera took hold.
While we were there a young woman, clearly pregnant, was rushed to the centre by ambulance. The in charge nurse put it best saying cholera doesn’t discriminate, it doesn’t respect anyone, young or old, big or small, it doesn’t matter who you are, that “cholera is a disease that doesn’t give a hell about anybody, it is deadly.”
The outbreak started back in July and quickly gained momentum, hitting the most vulnerable hardest, the poorest of the poor. You get cholera by consuming contaminated food or water. People who live in the overcrowded slums have little choice but to buy food from the street, where it is often put on the ground, right by puddles of potentially contaminated water.
During the rainy season downpours deluge the country, water streams down the streets and rivers overflow their banks, all possibly carrying cholera. We went to a slum built along the banks of a river, which means when it floods, the water washes right into the residents’ homes, making it all but impossible to avoid… and they rely on the river for so many things. It is already a tough life here, this cholera outbreak only makes it tougher.
There are major cholera awareness campaigns going on, you see signs everywhere warning people to be careful and also encouraging anyone with symptoms to get help right away. That’s a constant challenge here, say aid agencies, getting people to go for treatment as soon as they become ill, because all too quickly it can be too late. Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease that dehydrates at lightening speed and can kill within hours but in most cases, if caught soon enough, it can be treated successfully with oral rehydration salts, with some cases requiring intravenous fluids and antibiotics.
The worst of this outbreak appears to be over, with the rainy season drawing to an end, the cholera is spreading more slowly and the number of new cases is dropping significantly. Some of the emergency cholera treatment centres are starting to close as officials believe they have the outbreak under control. Which makes me think about the young, excited soccer players again, and how glad I am that they are now hopefully less at risk.
Christina is a Global National correspondent based in Toronto. She is currently reporting from Freetown. Follow her on Twitter: @StevensGlobal.
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