First, they are getting drinking water into place. Second, they are trying spread the refugee population around Albania so the sanitation systems do not break down. The spread of cholera is one of the main dangers following a humanitarian disaster - whether natural or enforced. Cholera is an acute infection of the gut which causes chronic diarrhoea and vomiting. This can lead to severe dehydration and, in some extreme cases, death.
Cholera is spread by contaminated water and food.
The bug is most deadly when it arrives unexpectedly because there are often no facilities for treatment or because people cannot get treatment in time. Cholera can be effectively treated with oral rehydration salts and antibiotics. Containing a cholera outbreak involves ensuring there are proper sanitation methods for disposing of sewage, an adequate drinking water supply and good food hygiene. There are two other vaccines which protect against one strain of cholera for a short period. Set up in 1993, the EHA works with other UN agencies and national health ministries.