The Ambassador Kenneth Merten announces an emergency assistance of the government of the United States in order to help the Haitian Government to treat and limit this epidemic.

All U.S. Government agencies on the ground in Haiti are united to support the Haitian Government and will continue to work in close coordination with the Ministry of Health as well as with international partners such the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and UNICEF, the program of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene of the United Nations (WASH), and Health institutions. The military force of the United Nations in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which includes military personnel of the U.S. Government is also actively involved in providing logistical support and control the security aspects of the operation.

Until now, American assistance on this epidemic includes specific deployment in Saint-Marc, of a joint team composed of epidemiologists and Haitian and Americans, including employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assess the situation. CDC staff also works with Haitian partners on laboratory diagnosis, control and treatment protocols, and develop tools to assess and train health workers on the practice of the last treatment protocols established and rehydration.

In response to the request of the Government of Haiti to establish centers of temporary treatment of cholera, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has mobilized its partners of implementing to distribute items from existing stocks. These items include beds and pillows, and materials to treat and prevent further spread of the epidemic, such as oral rehydration salts, intravenous fluids, the solutions have the ability to disinfect and purify water. USAID and its partners also work to disclose public health information through radio, leaflets, loudspeakers and mobile.

"In the next days, we will continue to reinforce our efforts to control the situation to face of near and there of coordination with the Haitian Government, the OPS, and other entities. The team of the US government prepares emergency plans with these partners to reduce the propagation of the cholera and to lavish care with those which are infected by it through the country" declared the ambassador.

HL/ HaitiLibre