Health - Haiti Observer Blog

Due to the large number of Haitians who are at risk of contracting the cholera virus, the World Health Organization has decided to start a vaccination campaign in Haiti for cholera in April 2011. Ten million Haitians are currently at risk for the cholera, scientists estimated that by April, 400,000 doses of the vaccine will be available to the population and by December, close to 1 million will be ready.

Teams of the World Health Organization of will start the vaccination in the Artibonite region, where the first case of cholera was reported and also in the region where most people have been affected by the disease.

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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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The contribution of the Cuban Medical Brigade in Haiti can not be ignored. These doctors are treating cholera victims in some of the most remote regions in Haiti.

According to top officials of the United Nation Stabilization Mission, the centers operated by the Cuban Medical Brigades in Haiti are part of the important work to fight the cholera epidemic, along side with Doctors without Borders and many other medical groups.

Haiti is in need of a lot more doctors and nurses to combat the cholera epidemic. The UN top humanitarian official stated recently that Haiti needs at least 100 more doctors and 1,000 more nurses to handle the epidemic effectively. Doctors from Cuban Medical Brigade, Doctors without Borders and many other medical groups currently providing services currently will not be able to provide care to all these people.

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Is there a risk that the cholera epidemic in Haiti can come to the U.S. and start killing people?

Haiti is less than 2 hours from the United States, when traveling by plain. On a daily basis, people travel by air and sea between the two countries. as a result, it remains a possibility that someone infected with the cholera in Haiti can travel to the U.S.

Do you think that it is a matter of time before the U.S. government requires that anyone coming from Haiti be screened for cholera? Do you think like some countries will start screening Haitians as they are arriving in their country to prevent the spread of cholera into their population? The island of Jamaica has already taken similar actions.

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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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An outbreak of Cholera is the latest challenge facing Haiti. It has been reported so far officially that 19 people have died as a result of this cholera outbreak. However, health officials bring the number to 50 dead. Is it possible that the real the dead could be doubled or three time of what was reported so far?

Many more people have been taken to hospital as a result of severe vomiting, fever and diarrhea which are the typical symptoms of feared cholera outbreak in Haiti.

Can we handle an outbreak of cholera in Haiti at this time?

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A total of $25 million is allocated to be invested in Haiti Health Care. With a plan to rebuild University Hospital of Haiti, the governments of Haiti, France and the U.S. agreed to form a partnership in order to improve the overall health in Haiti.

Is this the beginning of a beautiful relationship to provide needed health care to the Haitian population?

I believe that this relationship was formed as a result of a need to improve the health care system in Haiti. For too long, the country has been left by itself to solve its own health problem. It's like telling a sick person who is unable to get off the bed to go find the medicin in the medicine cabinet. As the President Rene Preval would say: "Nage pou nou soti".

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