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Earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, queue for water (photo UN Sophia Paris)

Cholera cases in Haiti are likely to increase in number and to appear in new areas

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Responds to Cholera Outbreak in this country.

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Cholera cases in Haiti are likely to increase in number and to appear in new areas of the country, a top Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) official said this 25 October, in a press briefing about the cholera epidemic in Haiti.

The Pan American Health Organization said today that it has received laboratory confirmation of cases of cholera in Haiti, in Artibonite province, and is responding to help the Ministry of Health assess the situation and respond appropriately to save lives. So far, PAHO has been informed that more than 1,500 cases of severe diarrhea and at least 138 deaths have been reported in St. Marc, Grande Saline, and Mirebalais.

Epidemiologists in action

PAHO has mobilized epidemiologists and other experts from its office in Port-au-Prince and from other countries to help local and national authorities assess and deal with the event, which marks the first time cholera has appeared on the island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The organization is collaborating with partners including the US Centers for Disease Control, US Agency for International Development, OCHA, Medecins Sans Frontieres, and other non-government organizations to combat the outbreak.

The causes

Cholera is an disease caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. An acute intestinal infection, it causes severe watery diarrhea and vomiting, and can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death. Most cases can be treated with oral rehydration salts, though more severe cases need hospitalization with intravenous fluids and appropriate antibiotics. The goal of treatment is to keep up with fluid loss caused by diarrhea and vomiting.

Cholera transmission is closely linked to inadequate environmental management. Typical at-risk areas include urban slums, where basic infrastructure is not available, as well as camps for internally displaced people or refugees, where minimum requirements of clean water and sanitation are lacking.

The consequences of a disaster such as the Haiti earthquake, including disruption of water and sanitation systems, or the displacement of populations to inadequate and overcrowded camps – can increase the risk of cholera transmission should the bacteria be present or introduced. Epidemics have never arisen from dead bodies.

Sanitation measures

With good case management, we can prevent people from dying, perhaps only 1% of cases. However, in areas where there is no good way of ensuring patients remain adequately hydrated, death rate or case fatality ratio may rise substantially, closer to 50%.

Ultimately, we want to prevent cases by implementing sound water and sanitation measures, then when cases occur, prevent them from succumbing to severe dehydration,” said Dr. Jon Andrus, Deputy Director of PAHO.

Swisslatin (26.10.2010)

 
 
 
 
 

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