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09/11/2003: "Kandahar Chronicles #8 - 08/09/2003"

"There's four positive cholera cases in Spin Boldak."the Project
Coordinator (PC) Manuel tells me in passing, the mobile pressed to his
ear.

Here we go, I thought, a cholera campaign.The facillitators
(instructors) always throw this one at you during the pre-mission
training. Two weeks of battling cholera, measles, rebel insurgents,
poppy warlords, poor sanitaion, malnourished under fives and dodgy
supply lines deep in the Dutch forest. While there, I'd casually
leafed through the cholera guidlines and certain bits still stuck in
my head. Chlorine, Wellington boots, dehydration, camp beds with holes
cut in them. It's a bit more in your face than diphtheria. It's late
in the season for cholera and , Inshallah, these cases may be
contained, but I've had to get my nose down and do some reading.

Spin Boldak is a bustling traders town two hours by cruiser southeast
of Kandahar on the border with Pakistan. It lies astride the Kandahar
to Quetta road and if a cholera case ends up there then the risk of it
spreading far and wide increases. We have another team in the area and
they are hands on while we give any support we can. If we start
getting any positive cases here then we jump in and try to treat and
contain it. Pumps, lighting, chlorinated footbaths, CTC, ORS, two
hundred meters from the BHU, isolation tents, a morgue. Just when I
thought I would catch up after diphtheria vaccinations and messing
around on holiday another adventure beckons. Part of me dreads it but
it would be a lot more interesting than punhing keys for another week.