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Orion Detachment starts the year by fighting malaria

Djibouti
January 2, 2020

The health personnel of the contingent support Caritas Djibouti in the detection and diagnosis of this disease

Health personnel from Orion Detachment work with Caritas Djibouti to help with the differential diagnosis for malaria and chikungunya.

The Air Force contingent, deployed as part of the EU naval force in Somalia (EU NAVFOR Somalia) to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean, received a request for health assistance as it is common at this period to see an upsurge in these diseases as a result of the rains and poor infrastructure in the Djibouti capital.

The Orion detachment has tests for the detection of malaria since, although the symptomatology is very similar in both diseases and both are transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes, the consequences of not adopting an adequate treatment are very different. In the case of malaria, it can be lethal.

There have also been numerous cases of skin ulcers caused by the precarious hygienic conditions in which this vulnerable group of people live.

There is a usual collaboration between the Spanish contingent and this organisation, which is dedicated to attend the most needy and at risk of social exclusion in the capital of Djibouti.

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