The United Nations (UN) warned Tuesday of a “pronounced and worrying increase in suspected cases of cholera in recent days” in Haiti.
Data from the Ministry of Health of the Caribbean country reveal that the number of suspected cases doubled between October 20 and 23, reaching almost 2,000 possible people infected with cholera.
“Our colleagues say this makes the fight against the disease much more challenging,” said Stephane Dujarric, a UN spokesman.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed that children under 14 years of age in Haiti make up almost half of the suspected cases of the disease that have been registered so far.
“The lack of fuel in the country, as well as gang activity, it means that it is more difficult for humanitarian workers to reach those in need,” Dujarric said. “Despite this, UNICEF has started to deliver drinking water to some 1,000 people in Cité Soleil.”
This outbreak occurs after more than three years without recorded cases of cholera in Haiti, infections are being recorded in Port-au-Prince and its metropolitan area, which includes the commune of Cité Soleil.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cholera is a disease caused by an infection of the intestine. People can get sick when they eat food or water that is contaminated with cholera bacteria. Although the infection is usually mild or asymptomatic, it can sometimes be life-threatening.
On the other hand, Dujarric pointed out that the UN World Food Program has managed to distribute food in the affected areas, impacting 6,000 vulnerable people.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN spokeswoman said, is providing 75,000 cholera prevention and hygiene items to patients in cholera treatment centers, the local population and inmates. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) established mobile clinics offering sexual and reproductive health services in areas impacted by gang violence and with a high rate of suspected cholera cases.
“Improving Haiti’s water and sanitation infrastructure and strengthening cholera surveillance are critical to preventing the future spread of cholera in Haiti and may allow the disease to be eliminated from the island of Hispaniola, the last cholera foothold in the Americas”, reads a report from the CDC.
The first cholera outbreak was reported in Haiti in October 2010, at that time leaving over 820,000 cases detected and 10,000 deaths.
The World Health Organization recommended that member states “strengthen and maintain cholera surveillance for early detection of suspected cases and to provide adequate treatment and prevent its spread.” Early and adequate treatment would limit the mortality rate of hospitalized patients to less than 1%.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and turn on notifications, or follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
