Cholera introduced in Haiti by blue helmets

UN Final Report: Cholera trafficked in Haiti by blue-helmet soldiers

09/05/2011

When cholera broke out in Haiti last year after the earthquake disaster, the population quickly blamed the blue-helmet soldiers for the epidemic. Rightly so, as confirmed by the investigations carried out on behalf of the United Nations by an international team of experts.

Cholera has raged in Haiti since October 2010. By the turn of the year, according to the Haitian Ministry of Health, more than 157,000 people fell ill with the infectious disease cholera, 3,500 people died as a result of cholera infection. In total, the ongoing cholera epidemic in Haiti has claimed nearly 5,000 lives and has infected around 300,000 people. Now, United Nations experts have confirmed that the epidemic could have been avoided, as the pathogens were introduced by UN peacekeepers from Nepal.

Cholera pathogen from Nepal brought in by blue helmet soldiers
In their 32-page final report, researchers from Bangladesh, India, Peru and the United States, in search of the causes of the cholera epidemic in Haiti, come to the conclusion that the pathogens are being used by the blue-helmet soldiers of MINUSTAH, the stabilization mission of the United Nations in Haiti (fr. „Mission of the Nations Unies pour la stabilization en Haïti“) were imported from Nepal. Due to the unfavorable hygienic conditions on site, the pathogens could spread rapidly and caused the ongoing cholera epidemic, according to the experts.

Leaky latrines in the camp of the UN Blue Helmets as a cause of infection?
The first cholera infection after the earthquake disaster in Haiti was registered on 17 October 2010 in the small town of Mirebalais. From the city located above the river Artibonite, the infections spread for the time being along the river to the estuary of Artibonite 80 kilometers to the northwest. The accusation of the population in the north of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince province of Artibonite is directed from the outset against the UN peacekeepers. This would have contaminated the river with feces in its camp in Mirebalais and thus brought about the outbreak of the disease. What seemed unlikely for international observers for the time being, however, has now been confirmed by the experts of the United Nations. The triggering cholera virus came from Nepal and was brought in by the soldiers, the United Nations said. Due to the inadequate latrine situation, the pathogens could enter the river water with fecal matter and cause the devastating cholera epidemic, the scientists explained. However, they did release the United Nations from direct liability, since the construction and maintenance of the latrines was operated by a local enterprise.

Cholera vaccine and antibiotics for UN blue helmets
In order to avoid the future outbreak of cholera caused by UN soldiers, the expert panel recommends in its final report on the cholera epidemic in Haiti that the use of UNO blue helmets be more stringent to exclude the transmission of pathogens from other regions of the world can. For this purpose, staff from cholera areas should be vaccinated before use and treated as a precaution with antibiotics, the experts said. In addition, should be used in the establishment and maintenance of the hygiene facility and in particular the latrines on their own, trained staff. In order to prevent the spread of the pathogens, the faeces should also be chemically treated before disposal and killed all pathogens. For incidents like those in Haiti not only undermine the trust of the local population in the aid of the UN, but at worst cost thousands of lives. (Fp)

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Haiti: 3,000 deaths from cholera epidemic

Image: Dieter Schütz