During of the weekly press conference of the UN Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (Minustah), which was held yesterday, Thursday, Nyka Alexander, Communications Officer, on the World Health Organization (WHO/PAHO) office in Haiti, has sought to reassure about the spread of cholera during the three carnival days (March 6 to 8, 2011)

"I tell you that you can sing, dance, have fun, this is not the way you'll catch cholera. Cholera is spread through contaminated food and water. The Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) prepares prevention messages for the carnival. But it is not because there are a lot of people together that the cholera is spreading. This is not from person to person. It is through contaminated food and water"

If it is true that the contamination is not from person to person [directly] it is regrettable that the representative of the WHO has not recalled that the first cause of contamination of the cholera (disease of dirty hands) is the non-compliance with basic rules of hygiene.

How can we believe that the hundreds of thousands of participants will have at their disposition facilities for washing their hands and they will respect these rules of hygiene ? How can we forget that these participants, during 3 days, will drink and eat, beverages and food whose the origin will not be subject to any health control ? These two items alone, let fear a greater risk of propagation of the disease and the remarks of Nyka Alexander are far from reassuring...

Last cholera assessment : since the beginning of the cholera epidemic in Haiti (October 19, 2010), 231.070 people were infected and treated, 124.482 people were hospitalized and 4.549 people died. According to the latest report from the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), dated of February 9, 2011.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2285-haiti-jacmel-carnival-factor-in-the-spread-of-cholera.html

PI/ HaitiLibre