cholera haiti - Haiti Observer Blog

The 2010 earthquake that demolished Haiti's infrastructure robbed the poorest Haitians of what little they had, homes that were nothing more than hovels. Thrown into the streets of Port-au-Prince with no access to toilets, sanitation virtually did not exist. Having no clean potable water added to the misery.

Nine months following the January earthquake, in October 2010, a cholera epidemic took hold of Port-au-Prince, largely affecting those living in tent cities. These cities are still filled today with earthquake survivors, and cholera cases have increased noticeably since early 2012.

The United States Department of State has kept a travel advisory in place since the earthquake, cautioning American citizens to stay away from Haiti. With the exception of necessary business travel or humanitarian work, Americans are advised not to visit Haiti.
But others claim the majority of travelers to Haiti are not likely to contract cholera. However, they recommend a cholera prevention kit as a precautionary measure:

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Cholera, a potentially fatal disease in some cases affects the intestinal tract. Some forms of cholera are symptom-less, or exhibit only moderate signs of the illness. The onset of cholera symptoms happens within a 24- to 48-hour period. Typical signs of having contracted cholera include diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle cramps. In moderate cases, normally healthy people experience spontaneous and extreme amounts of watery diarrhea between one and five days of consuming food containing the Vibrio cholerae bacterium.

In extreme cases of cholera, which afflicts one out of twenty people, diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting and muscle cramps. These symptoms come on quickly, and excessive loss of body fluids caused by diarrhea will bring on dehydration. Dehydration may lead to shock. If this extreme form of cholera is left untreated, a person can die within a few short hours.

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Haiti's 2010 earthquake, which shook the country to its foundations, especially Port-au-Prince, displaced tens of thousands of Haitians. They were reduced to living in the streets, without adequate sanitation. Nine months later in October of 2010, a cholera epidemic began, and has continued afflicting the poorest segment of Haitians, many of whom remain living in tent cities.

The Ministry of Public Sanitation and the Population has recorded 581,952 cases of cholera as of July 2012, with a 7,455 death tally since October 2010. A noticeable rise in cholera cases have been reported since early 2012 in Centre, Nord, and Port-au-Prince. Port-au-Prince neighborhoods reporting cases of cholera include: Carrefour, Cité Soleil, Delmas, Kenscoff, Petionville, and Tabarre.

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In order to reduce the likelihood of a renewed outbreak of cholera. For the general population, the basics of cholera prevention are re-emphasized:

• use soap and water to disinfect hands before preparation of food, and during the consumption of it.
• disinfect plates, glasses, forks, knives, and spoons with hot water.
• disinfect hands after using toilet facilities.
• boil or disinfect possibly contaminated water.
• use disinfected water only for household tasks.

Because many poorer Haitians don't understand good sanitation habits, the Ministry of Health issues a stern warning to avoid defecating on the ground. And to also avoid defecation near bodies of water, natural or man-made.

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Just a few days after the passage of Hurricane Sandy on Haiti, the population is just beginning to evaluate the level of damages caused by the storm

However, in the next few days, weeks and Months, we will have a lot more to deal with.

Le's see what's coming toward us:

1: Cholera is back.
With so much flooding in so many regions of the country, we can only assume that cholera will be spreading.

2: Agricultural lost:
How do we replace all these agricultural products such as banana, Plantain, yam, just to name a few. Do you remember that it was only a few days ago that the population was asking for the government to resign because families were unable to feed themselves.

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This is a report on the ongoing effect of the tropical storm Isaac that hit Haiti on Saturday, August 25, 2012.

Please remain connected with us. As we are monitoring the situation, we will continue to provide any update to you. The entire country is under our coverage.

Just stay put and refresh your browser often to capture the latest update posted on tropical storm Isaac.
Another video of the storm Isaac as it goes through Haiti. The storm hit Southern Haiti With Winds Around 60 Miles Per Hour. Many streets were flooded, power Lines down and homes flooded.
(video not available)

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The United Nation is now saying that cholera is likely to affect a lot more people in Haiti than previously estimated. They also stated that the number of death from the cholera is likely to be much higher than originally thought.

UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon said that the actual number of death from the cholera in Haiti is about 3,600 people and not around 1,800 as previously estimated. For the next six months, The UN secretary estimated that 650,000 new cases of cholera will be detected in Haiti.

The UN Secretary also said that Haiti is currently in need of more medical personnel.

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It was reported that a group of residents in the Municipality of El Penon in the Dominican Republic has mounted street protest against Haitians living in the region due to the cholera outbreak in the neighboring country of Haiti.
Last Saturday, Dominican protestors burned tires on the streets and prevented normal day to day activities in the municipality of Penon by blocking streets, throwing rocks and bottles, demanding that all Haitians leave El Penon.

The fear by the Dominicans came as a result of a Haitian who was diagnosed with the cholera epidemic in the country. Wilma Louwes who is Haitian was treated for cholera in a hospital in the Dominican Republic and released in good health. However, according to haitilibre.com, "He was denied access to the apartment he rented with his girlfriend for 3 years, apartment located at 46, Julia Pena street in San Martín sector of Higuey. "

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Cases of Cholera have been detected in the North and the South of Haiti. The population is questioning the efforts made by the Haitian government to control the spread of the disease.

The people who sell food in the streets have been told to have water available for the clients so that they could wash their hands properly before eating. They also have been told to make arrangements so that people could use the bathroom

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This is breaking news. All persons from Haiti are to be screened before being allowed to enter the country.

The Director of Emergency Management and Special Services in the Health Ministry stated that All persons entering the country by airports or by seaports from Haiti are to face quarantine before allowed into the country. This is what was reported today by Jamaicaobservator.Com

Jamaica is so far the first country to require Haitians or people arriving from Haiti to undergo a screening before allowed into Jamaica.

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