极端天气。缺乏挽救生命的疫苗。非洲的霍乱危机比以往任何时候都更严重
![A family uses a boat after fleeing floodwaters that wreaked havoc in the Githurai area of Nairobi, Kenya, April 24, 2024. Extreme weather events have hit parts of Africa relentlessly in the last three years, with tropical storms, floods and drought causing crises of hunger and displacement. They leave another deadly threat behind them: some of the continent's worst outbreaks of cholera. In southern and East Africa, more than 6,000 people have died and nearly 350,000 cases have been reported since a series of cholera outbreaks began in late 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi, File 极端天气。缺乏挽救生命的疫苗。非洲的霍乱危机比以往任何时候都更严重](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2024/extreme-weather-a-lack.jpg)
在过去三年中,极端天气事件无情地袭击了非洲部分地区,热带风暴、洪水和干旱造成了饥饿和流离失所的危机。他们留下了另一个致命的威胁:非洲大陆一些最严重的霍乱疫情。
在南部和东部非洲,自2021年底开始一系列霍乱疫情以来,已有6000多人死亡,近35万例病例报告。
马拉维和赞比亚爆发了有记录以来最严重的疫情。津巴布韦经历了多次浪潮。莫桑比克、肯尼亚、埃塞俄比亚和索马里也受到严重影响。
所有人都经历过洪水或干旱 – 在某些情况下,两者兼而有之 – 卫生当局,科学家和援助机构表示,非洲前所未有的水传播细菌感染激增是极端天气在推动疾病爆发方面发挥作用的最新例子。
“由于极端气候事件变得越来越普遍,疫情的规模越来越大,”研究发展中国家疾病的南非科学家图里奥·德·奥利维拉(Tulio de Oliveira)说。
德奥利维拉领导了一个在COVID-19大流行期间发现新冠病毒变种的团队,他说,南部非洲最近的疫情可以追溯到2021年底和2022年初袭击马拉维的飓风和洪水,将霍乱细菌带到了通常无法到达的地区。
![Floodwaters are visible in Ombaka Village, Kisumu, Kenya, April 17, 2024. Extreme weather events have hit parts of Africa relentlessly in the last three years, with tropical storms, floods and drought causing crises of hunger and displacement. They leave another deadly threat behind them: some of the continent's worst outbreaks of cholera. In southern and East Africa, more than 6,000 people have died and nearly 350,000 cases have been reported since a series of cholera outbreaks began in late 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Brian Ongoro, File 极端天气。缺乏挽救生命的疫苗。非洲的霍乱危机比以往任何时候都更严重](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2024/extreme-weather-a-lack-1.jpg)
津巴布韦和赞比亚在与严重干旱作斗争时病例有所增加,人们在绝望中依赖不太安全的水源,如井眼、浅井和河流,这些都可能受到污染。本月肯尼亚和东非其他地区发生致命洪水几天后,霍乱病例出现。
世界卫生组织称霍乱为贫困疾病,因为它在卫生条件差和缺乏清洁水的地方茁壮成长。非洲今年的死亡人数是中东的八倍,中东是受影响第二大的地区。
卫生专家表示,非洲历来脆弱,由于面临气候变化的最严重影响以及厄尔尼诺天气现象的影响,非洲面临的风险更大。
在这场完美的风暴中,全球霍乱疫苗也短缺,只有较贫穷的国家才需要霍乱疫苗。
“它不会影响有资源的国家,”无国界医生组织的国际医疗协调员丹妮拉·加隆(Daniela Garone)博士说。“所以,它不会带来资源。
数十亿美元被投入到主要影响世界上最脆弱人群的其他疾病上,如脊髓灰质炎和肺结核,主要是因为这些疾病具有高度传染性,即使在富裕国家也可能导致疫情暴发。但霍乱的情况并非如此,霍乱的流行病仍然受到控制。
![People gather on a bridge after floodwater washed away houses near Nakuru, Kenya, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Extreme weather events have hit parts of Africa relentlessly in the last three years, with tropical storms, floods and drought causing crises of hunger and displacement. They leave another deadly threat behind them: some of the continent's worst outbreaks of cholera. In southern and East Africa, more than 6,000 people have died and nearly 350,000 cases have been reported since a series of cholera outbreaks began in late 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Brian Inganga, file 极端天气。缺乏挽救生命的疫苗。非洲的霍乱危机比以往任何时候都更严重](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2024/extreme-weather-a-lack-2.jpg)
世卫组织本月表示,全球口服霍乱疫苗库存“严重短缺”。自2023年初以来,15个国家(绝望的少数国家)共要求提供8200万剂疫苗,以应对致命疫情,而只有4600万剂疫苗可用。
只剩下320万剂,低于至少储备500万剂的目标。虽然目前在中东、美洲和东南亚有霍乱疫情,但非洲是迄今为止受影响最严重的地区。
疫苗联盟全球疫苗免疫联盟和联合国儿童基金会上个月表示,一种新的霍乱疫苗的批准将提振库存。但短缺的结果已经用死亡人数来衡量。
利兰达是赞比亚首都卢萨卡边缘的一个小镇,是典型的霍乱热点地区。死水池点缀在土路上。干净的水就像金粉一样。在一月份的两天里,米尔德里德·班达(Mildred Banda)亲眼目睹了她1岁的儿子死于霍乱,并赶紧挽救了她十几岁女儿的生命。
霍乱不应该杀死任何人。这种疾病很容易治疗和预防,而且疫苗的生产相对简单。
这对班达的儿子恩丹吉没有帮助。
![Mildred Banda holds a phone showing a picture of her one-year-old son who died of Cholera in Lilanda township in Lusaka, Zambia, Saturday, March, 9, 2024. Lilanda, an impoverished township on the edge of the Zambian capital of Lusaka, is a typical cholera hotspot. Stagnant pools of water dot the dirt roads. Clean water is gold dust. Extreme weather events have hit parts of Africa relentlessly in the last three years, with tropical storms, floods and drought causing crises of famine and displacement, and leaving another deadly threat in their aftermath: some of the continent's worst outbreaks of cholera. Credit: AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi 极端天气。缺乏挽救生命的疫苗。非洲的霍乱危机比以往任何时候都更严重](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2024/extreme-weather-a-lack-3.jpg)
当他因腹泻而生病时,他在诊所接受了口服补液溶液治疗并出院。那天晚上,他又在家里脱水了。班达感到非常内疚。
“我应该早点注意到我儿子感觉不舒服,”她坐在她的小混凝土房子里说。“我应该更快地采取行动,把他带回诊所。我应该把他带回去救他一命。
由于疫苗短缺,赞比亚在邻国马拉维爆发疫情后无法开展预防性疫苗接种运动。这应该是一个警告电话,德奥利维拉说。赞比亚只是在案件开始增加时才提出紧急请求。
1月中旬,可能挽救恩丹吉的疫苗开始运抵。他于1月6日去世。
在津巴布韦,厄尔尼诺现象加剧了干旱,霍乱在偏远的农村地区以及拥挤的城市社区的传统热点地区蔓延。
无国界医生驻津巴布韦代表Abi Kebra Belaye表示,这个南部非洲国家通常有大约17个受灾严重的地区,其中大部分是城市地区。今年,霍乱蔓延到62个地区,因为寻找水源的斗争加剧了风险。
![A picture of Mildred Bandas daughter, survivor of a cholera outbreak, is seen inside their family home in Lilanda, Zambia, Saturday, March 9, 2024. Lilanda, an impoverished township on the edge of the Zambian capital of Lusaka, is a typical cholera hotspot. Stagnant pools of water dot the dirt roads. Clean water is gold dust. Extreme weather events have hit parts of Africa relentlessly in the last three years, with tropical storms, floods and drought causing crises of famine and displacement, and leaving another deadly threat in their aftermath: some of the continent's worst outbreaks of cholera. Credit: AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi 极端天气。缺乏挽救生命的疫苗。非洲的霍乱危机比以往任何时候都更严重](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2024/extreme-weather-a-lack-4.jpg)
“非洲的这一地区正在为气候变化付出最高的代价,”凯布拉·贝拉耶说。
来自首都哈拉雷霍乱多发地区的奥古斯丁·乔耶拉(Augustine Chonyera)最近访问了人口稀少的布赫拉(Buhera)农村地区时感到震惊。
他说,他听到了关于这种疾病影响的可怕故事:一个家庭失去了五名成员,一对夫妻在几个小时内相继死亡,当地企业使用送货卡车将病人送到几公里(英里)外的诊所。
“现在看来,农村地区的人们比我们更危险。我仍然想知道它是怎么发生的,“Chonyera说。
他说,他尽快回到家里——把他带来的一大瓶处理过的水给了一位老妇人。
© 2024 年美联社。