Haiti 3,000 dead by cholera epidemic

Haiti: 3,000 people died from cholera epidemic

03/01/2011

After the earthquake disaster last year, the situation in Haiti has still not normalized. The number of cholera infections has continued to rise dramatically. According to the Haitian Ministry of Health, by December 26 of last year, 3,333 victims had died as a result of cholera infection. In total, around 150,000 people have been infected with cholera since the outbreak of the epidemic ten weeks ago, experts at the Ministry of Health estimate. More than 30 people are still dying each day as a result of an infection, with international health experts predicting that these numbers may increase significantly if, as predicted in various projections, up to 400,000 people become infected over the next 12 months.

Cholera infection risk due to drinking water and food
Since cholera erupted for the last time in Haiti more than 100 years ago and is not one of the common diseases of the indigenous population, many Haitians often do not know how to deal with the risk of infection and what to do in case of infection, despite extensive educational campaigns by aid organizations is. They seek medical help too late and themselves pose a not insignificant risk of infection for others. Because the serious, bacterial infectious disease is highly contagious. The pathogens usually spread through contaminated drinking water or infected food and cause severe diarrhea and vomiting. This can lead to dehydration with considerable electrolyte loss relatively quickly, which can result in the death of the patient within a short time. If cholera remains untreated, the mortality rate at the onset of the disease is between 20 and 70 percent.

Cholera epidemic - already over 80,000 hospital admissions
The experts of the international aid organizations assume that the actual number of deaths and illnesses is much higher than officially stated by the Haitian health authorities in Prot-au-Prince. Meanwhile, the Haitian population is growing more and more hostile to UN troops stationed there. There have already been massive protests over the past month because UN troops are accused of having introduced cholera in the first place. In the face of the allegations, the UN sought clarification and stated that it wished to refute the allegations. In total, around 250,000 people were killed as a result of the devastating earthquake in Haiti at the beginning of last year, although the numbers could increase dramatically in the wake of the massive cholera epidemic. The Cuban news agency Prensa Latina (PL), referring to a communiqué from the Haitian Ministry of Health, said that by December 26 of last year, 83,166 people in the Caribbean had to be hospitalized. (Fp)

Image: Dieter Schütz