Visited a small village in the mountains, this last week.
What a shock to see how clean this place is compare to other villages!! Glad to
see that the local Pastor, who was the head of the village a while ago, influenced
the people in cleaning their village. Sad to see that a big NGO donated a well,
for U$3600 and its already broken for a year. Cost to repair, U$10, and nobody
wants to give money to repair the well. This is just to show that we need to
stop and make these people dependable on us. Dumping money into poor communities
is not the answer. Wish the big guys will start to listen.
Was encouraged by the pastor’s seal, when we told them we
will help them to build their church roof. Some people donated some $$ for the
roof. We need a bit more, so if there are someone who is interested, please let
me know. They went off to build the structure and we will meet them again in 2
weeks. They said to us:”” IF you help us, we will put your name their on the
church……””We replied that we do not want that as we love to see independent /indigenous
standing on their own. Samai told them to put the name of Jesus on the church.
Sad to see that the people do not have money to go to the
clinics. Met a few old people with real problems but cannot help them as well
as it is long term problems like diabetes and high blood pressure etc. Toinette
visited a lady that was send home by the hospital as she is yellow as can be.
Obvious something wrong with her liver or kidneys. She is just lying at home
and waits to die. Sad to see people like this. Where is the justice in this
place, when you need it? Pray for wisdom how to help these people in a remote
setting.
I am off to Phnom Penh tomorrow to see if we can apply to
get visas. Always a problem for us Africans. Pray for safe travels down there
as well as open doors in the Dept. of Foreign Affairs.
Just see a report on Dengue in my inbox. Because if this
severe drought it will be bad this year. Not even to mention the malaria. I
include a letter so you can know what to pray for. We also experience a sudden
increase in flies this year, due to the drought. Continue to pray for rain as
it is still much needed.
Dengue Epidemic Looms
Sonny Inbaraj Krishnan
13 June 2016
Dengue cases normally peak in the Kingdom during the
onslaught of the monsoon. This year, however, things seem to be different and
we are seeing a large number of cases of dengue fever reported even before the
start of the wet season.
The Ministry of Health, in a statement released last week,
said that from January to May this year there were 1,915 cases and four deaths
from the mosquito-borne disease. Last year during the same time period, the ministry
added, there were 567 cases with one death.
This large number of dengue cases in the country, so early
in the year, needs to be taken very seriously. A recent study published in the
US-based Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is convinced that we
will see a dengue epidemic in Southeast Asia due to the “predicted extreme
intensity of El Nino,” with abnormally high atmospheric temperatures.
Cambodia is unique when it comes to dengue. Every five years
or so, there seems to be a peak of dengue cases and deaths – and the statistics
don’t lie.
In 2007, 407 people died of dengue hemorrhagic fever and
nearly 40,000 cases were reported by the National Center for Parasitology,
Entomology and Malaria Control (CNM). That year was a nightmare for Cambodia’s
Ministry of Health with the highest dengue deaths on record in a single year.
In 2008, the number of cases and deaths dramatically dropped
with 9,200 recorded dengue infections and 65 deaths. In 2012, five years from
2007, CNM reported 183 deaths and 41,716 cases. In 2013, the cases dropped to
59 dead and 17,491 infected. So the next cycle, according to the data analysis,
is due either at the end of this year or by the first quarter of next year.
There is no one single dengue virus and the Aedes aegypti
and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes can carry four different strains – DV1, DV2,
DV3 and DV4. In Cambodia, the predominant mosquito species that carries the
dengue virus is Aedes aegypti.
When a new dengue virus strain circulates there can be
serious outbreaks because there is no acquired immunity against it among the
population high at risk, mostly children. Each virus strain only confers
immunity to its particular type, which means a person can come down with dengue
four times. The life-threatening version of this disease is dengue hemorrhagic
fever and it results when a person encounters a second dengue strain. Death is
common among children who have previously been infected by another dengue type.
We still don’t know why new dengue strains emerge and suddenly
disappear and we have yet to fully understand the behavior of this arbovirus.
The Aedes aegypti is a very sneaky mosquito, and we need to worry about the
daytime biting female species. This means that you have to be very concerned if
you’re stabbed aggressively several times in your ankles or calves by
mosquitoes during the day. There is a high probability that Aedes aegypti
mosquitoes are depositing their viral load with each plunge of their proboscis.
As a domestic mosquito, well adapted to humans, the female
Aedes aegypti depends on people for the water containers in which she breeds
and the blood that nourishes her eggs. Studies have indicated that
dengue-carrying mosquitoes carry the virus for life and can transmit it to
their larvae in a process called transovarial transmission, for the virus to
survive and lay dormant during dry or cold seasons.
So preventing the transmission of dengue doesn’t only
include eradicating adult female mosquitoes, but also destroying their larvae.
The Ministry of Health uses temephos pellets, marketed as
Abate, in water containers to kill the larva of dengue-carrying mosquitoes. The
use of Abate, however, has to be followed by a health education program on the
proper use of the larvicide, with intervals between applications in water
explained in simple language to ensure their effectiveness.
While there is little doubt concerning the effectiveness of
temephos in controlling Aedes breeding sites, there is, however, a serious lack
of data in Cambodia to show a reduction in dengue transmission with the use of
that particular larvicide. Yet the ministry continues to promote its
application in water.
What’s also troubling is the haphazard distributions of
Abate by overzealous commune chiefs during provincial elections – every five
years and by chance coinciding with dengue epidemics – to curry favor from
their electorates and taking away the much-needed larvicide from areas prone to
outbreaks.
Community-based control strategies like using larva-eating
guppy fish to fight the spread of dengue have been endorsed by the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) and the World Health Organization.
“This is a low-cost, year-round, safe way of reducing the
spread of dengue in which the whole community can participate. It offers a
viable alternative to using chemicals and can reduce the scale of costly
emergency response activities to contain epidemics,” said a 2013 ADB statement
after the bank reviewed the impressive results of pilot projects in Kampong
Cham province and neighboring Laos.
However, it is baffling why the guppy fish project has not
been scaled up nationwide by Cambodia’s Ministry of Health, unlike Laos,
despite numerous requests by the ADB with offers of funds.
Perhaps the commercial interests in Abate deals are just too
lucrative. In the meantime, the lives of Cambodians, especially children,
remain in jeopardy with a dengue epidemic just around the corner.
Our prayer for Syria this week:
Isaiah 2:12 “The Lord
Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is
exalted (and they will be humbled)”
Father God, I thank You for Your great mercy in humbling the
proud, in exposing the weakness of the sand they have been standing on. Thank
You Lord that You have chosen the weak things of this world (those who have
been persecuted) to shame the strong. Thank You that their strength is in You.
Jesus, I pray for the leaders of Syria, the leaders of the country, leaders of
armies, leaders of regiments, leaders of families. Father, I pray that they
will be humbled… SO THAT they may find a greater prize - strength in You. May
their hope be placed in YOU!
Today’s story is not quite connected to the verse but I ask
for your prayers for a dear friend. Ruza* became a believer last year. I saw
her grow in her relationship with Jesus. I saw her being set free from fear and
demonic activities in her home. I saw her smile and her eyes sparkle. I know
she experienced Jesus in a special way. Then in the last few months, Ruza and
her husband (also a believer) have experienced rejection and judgement (sadly
from other believers). This has caused her to turn her back on Jesus. I visited
her this week and she compared the ‘prophets’ with me. One did and said wonderful
things. And the other did some very bad things. "But because all of my
neighbours are muslims, and I have lost my friends, I cannot stand alone.” It
was only at the end of the visit that i realised she was fasting for Ramadan.
My heart broke. It was the first day of ramadan.
Jesus, I pray for Ruza. Jesus, she saw a vision of You with
her own eyes. She experienced You setting her free from fear and shame. I don’t
understand but I know that Your love for her is still so very real. She still
knows the truth… but she can’t stand alone. Jesus, as You were shamed and
abandoned, I pray that You would give her and her husband the strength during
this time. I pray for reconciliation with the other believers. And most of all,
I pray that You would be her rock, that she can share with her neighbours who
You are, her sure foundation.
We’re one week into the month of Ramadan. Let’s continue to
pray for Muslims around the world to receive dreams, visions and revelation of
the Truth.
Love
Rossouw-clan
No comments:
Post a Comment