Haiti confirms cholera episode has wiped out 168, to date

North of Port-au-Price, Haiti, officials have verified a cholera outbreak. The outbreak has infected over 1,500 people. This is, in short, a really large outbreak. The outbreak is blamed on the slow recovery from January’s earthquake.

Episode of Cholera is deadly

Disease outbreak in Saint-Marc is what medical officials in Haiti have been waiting for confirmation on. The diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration brought on by the cholera bacteria can be fatal, especially for kids and the elderly. The outbreak of cholera has overwhelmed hospitals because of numbers. One hospital decided to try and save space by treating all cholera victims in the parking lot. Then it rained and they had to go back inside. The strategy of delivering patients to hospitals with more room doesn’t work really well since the cholera outbreak is so huge right now. Approximately 168 individuals have passed away, as of this writing, though several thousand have been infected.

Haiti without a cholera outbreak for a hundred years

The World Health Organization has confirmed that the Haitian cholera episode is the first in Haiti in more than 100 years. Cholera is most often transmitted via drinking dirty water. Some with cholera are saying purified water had been all they drank. The source of the outbreak is what WHO officials are working on finding. Being healthy does not matter when it comes to cholera. Urgent treatment is necessary ever since it can kill any person in four hours.

Haiti cholera episode needs airlift supplies delivered

Haiti has already started seeing some of the medical and humanitarian supplies coming to them. Camps of earthquake survivors are really dense. This means cholera is likely to spread in them. Rehydration salts, saline drips and antibiotics are being sent to the country. They have already been sent. The lack of a strong sanitation and vaccination infrastructure in Haiti complicates the treatment possibilities for the disease. Until earthquake survivors have reliable sanitation, cholera outbreaks are a consistent and constant concern.

Articles cited

AOL News

aolnews.com/world/article/cholera-in-haiti-aid-groups-race-to-stop-outbreak/19685243

BBC

bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11608551