RUSAL delivered medical cargo to combat cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone

RUSAL, the world’s largest aluminium producer announces the successful completion of a humanitarian mission to deliver medical cargo to combat and prevent cholera for hospitals in Sierra Leone, Western Africa. More than 25 tonnes of cargo was passed onto the health facilities of the most impacted regions.

RUSAL’s humanitarian mission was a response to the call of Sierra Leone’s government and the country’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation Mr. John Sahr Yambasu to provide support in the fight with the epidemic.

The cargo was delivered from Guinea, where the Company owns bauxite and alumina refining assets, including CBK, the Frigua complex and the Dian-Dian deposit concession. RUSAL’s experience in fighting cholera at its Guinean plants helped the Company to create a relevant medical package for Sierra Leone.

Commenting on the cargo delivery, Sierra Leone Ambassador to the Russian Federation Mr. John Sahr Yambasu thanked Rusal for the kind gesture that the company had demonstrated in helping to address this epidemic in Sierra Leone and expressed his hope for the continuing of the co-operation.

According to UNICEF, more than 14,200 cholera cases were registered in Sierra Leone since the beginning of 2012, which nearly twice exceeds the World Health Organisation’s epidemic threshold. Since September, the country introduced a public emergency warning regarding the epidemic. The upward trend in the cases of the disease registered in August was caused by the peak of the rain season.

“RUSAL has already operated in Africa for 10 years and for all of this time health programmes and medical supplies for local communities were among the top priorities of our social activities in the region. We see the situation in Sierra Leone as critical and hope that our contribution will help the Government to fight this terrible epidemic,” said Yakov Itskov, UC RUSAL Director of International Alumina Division.