Cholera Deaths Near The 1,000 Mark In Haiti, Numbers Continue To Rise

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Main Category: Aid / Disasters
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses;  Tropical Diseases
Article Date: 15 Nov 2010 - 7:00 PDT


Haiti's Health Ministry have confirmed over 920 deaths from cholera so far, most likely a conservative figure because aid agencies and charities in the area have their own reports which are not always collected promptly. In the last three days the number of fatalities has risen by 121. Authorities say that nearly 15,000 people have been admitted to hospital and that the disease is currently present in six provinces - Haiti has ten provinces.

Several aid agencies are concerned about the cholera spreading through the camps which house over 1 million people who became homeless after the devastating earthquake which shook the country on January 12th this year.

According to data collected from around the country, the province of Artibonite, located in the center, is the worst affected with 595 deaths.

In Port-au-Prince, the capital city with a population of 3 million, 27 deaths have so far been confirmed. As the disease has only recently reached the capital, most experts are expecting a significant rise in reported cases.

Hurricane Tomas, which hit the country a couple of weeks ago, was mercifully not as damaging as people had feared. However, it brought with it heavy rains and flooding; several rivers burst their banks. Flooding can cause sewage systems to overflow and accelerate the spread of cholera.

The United Nations and WHO (World Health Organization) believe the total number of cases in Haiti could reach hundreds of thousands. Figures coming out of PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) predict that over 200,000 people could eventually become infected.

The United Nations says that $163.9 are required to deal with this epidemic over the next 12 months.

Haitian authorities say the presidential and legislative elections planned for November 28th will still go ahead.

Hygiene is crucial in the fight to stop the spread of cholera. Several aid agencies comment that educating people about hygiene is fine, as long as they have good supplies of soap and detergents. Supplies are getting through, but not fast enough and in sufficient quantities.

Source: United Nations, WHO, PAHO

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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