While the epidemic in Haiti continues its ravages in the population, for nearly three months, the World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that the peak of the infection of the disease, is, according to it still not reached.

Last cholera assessment : since the beginning of the cholera epidemic in Haiti (October 19, 2010), 185.012 people were infected and treated, 103.012 people were hospitalized and 3.790 people died. According to the latest report from the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), dated of January 9, 2011.

The figures released by the MSPP for the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and the Department of the West, continued to be unusable. By failing to account the deaths of the people in the community, it allows the government to claim that in the most populous department of Haiti, there had from the beginning only 14 deaths (0.9%) against 354 in the medical facilities, which does not correspond to reality on the ground and which gives a false impression of improvement in this department.

The World Health Organization (WHO) continues its operations to support the Haitian authorities. In cooperation with the government, trainings on the management of the disease were put in place for the community leaders and religious leaders. WHO has also provided training to over 500 health workers.

For the Artibonite department,where the epidemic began, municipal brigades responsible for monitoring the evolution of the epidemic have been put in place after an outbreak of infection in the highlands of Gros-Mornes. A decline in infections in the south of the department has instead allowed the redeployment of teams from the non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

WHO has identified several sectors where barriers remain, including the community mobilization for the prevention, access to clean water and latrines, access to treatment of the disease and coordination between different NGOs and UN agencies.

According to the UN agency, "there is an urgent need to provide a massive mobilization activities to promote prevention and treatment". "The control of the epidemic will depend also on the level of access to clean water and basic sanitation, as well as the implementation of hygiene measures".

See also:

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2084-haiti-epidemic-the-cholera-threatens-22-million-children.html

PI/ HaitiLibre