Haiti earthquake - Chris' message

[nancyk58]

It is feared that the category-1 hurricane TOMAS will affect HAITI where 1.5 million are living in tent camps and where cholera has cost 300 human lives.

[nancyk58]

Swedish SVT: HAITI PREPARES FOR EVACUATIONS BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF HURRICANE TOMAS

The authorities in HAITI prepare for the evacuation of ten thousands of Haitians from the tented villages where they have lived since the January earthquake.

The evacuation must take place before the tropical storm TOMAS reaches HAITI later this week. TOMAS is expected to gain strength and reach HAITI on Friday.

In the capital, Port-au-Prince, the Civil Defense recommends those living in the cholera-hit camps to leave the tents which may collapse due to the strong winds.

[nancyk58]

Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende on 1.11.10: CYCLONE TOMAS CONTINUING ITS RAVAGE / HAITI THREATENED

Bridgetown: After having torn off houseroofs and uprooted trees and electricity poles in the eastern Caribbean, CYCLONE TOMAS weakened to a tropical storm yesterday while moving westwards where the earthquake-stricken HAITI is now threatened.

TOMAS is the 12th hurricane in a very active 2010 hurricane season.

Tomas reached winds of up to 150km/h. Prognoses show that the cyclone may develop into a category 3 or 4 storm tomorrow when passing south of The Dominican Republic and Haiti tomorrow. The wind speeds might reach more than 178km/h. “This is a very dangerous hurricane which has started to gain strength / speed”, said the hurricane expert Jeff Masters.

Last Saturday Tomas swept St. Lucia and St. Vincent where it destroyed many homes, caused power cuts and flooded roads.


Danish TV2 News on 4.11.10: NUMBER OF CHOLERA DEATHS INCREASING CONSIDERABLY IN HAITI

Since Saturday 105 more have died due to cholera in Haiti so that THE CHOLERA DEATH TOLL IS 442 according to Haiti’s health authorities citing BBC.


At the same time the NUMBER OF INFECTED HAS RISEN BY 40% to 6,742 according to the authorities. Since Saturday 2,000 patients have been brought to the hospital with cholera symptoms.


Swedish SVT: NEW TRIALS FOR THE HAITIANS

HUNDRED THOUSANDS OF HAITIANS ARE THREATENED BY MASSIVE FLOODS WHEN TROPICAL STORM, CYCLONE TOMAS REACHES HAITI. Then the CHOLERA EPIDEMIC that has so far COST MORE THAN 440 HUMAN LIVES will worsen according to the United Nations.

The tropical storm TOMAS is expected to reach HAITI on Friday with heavy cloudbursts and waves up to 2-3m.

1.5 MILLION HAITIANS are THREATENED of which many live in tent camps, says Nigel Fisher who is UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Haiti.

[MartinFan]

Nancy, this is so terrible... These people don't deserve this, I am hoping they get some immediate help after this hurricane departs Hati!!!! I have been watching the news, and seeing all the tents, these people are just sitting ducks, they have no place to get out of harms way.

[nancyk58]

Yes, TRACEY

This is really bad, sad and terrible.

First the DEVASTATING JANUARY EARTHQUAKE

Then the RAINY SEASON

Then the OUTBREAK OF CHOLERA

Now the HURRICANE "TOMAS" also bringing MASSIVE FLOODS

Many of those surviving the devastating earthquake in January now risk dying from either CHOLERA or by DROWNING IN FLOODED TENT CAMPS.

[nancyk58]

NEWS ON 5 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO HAITI


Danish TV2 News / DR1 + German ZDFtext: FEAR OF HURRICANE “TOMAS” WHICH HAS COST 3 HAITIAN LIVES

A new natural disaster is threatening the Haitians 10 months after the powerful earthquake in January 2010: The hurricane “TOMAS” which reached the Caribbean state Friday at noon central European time with heavy rain and stormy winds – up to 130 km per hour. The storm seems to have lost strength, but it is still feared that the storm will have devastating consequences for the Haitians.

In the last couple of days Haiti’s inhabitants have prepared for the storm.

More than 1 million Haitians (seen the figures 1.3 and 1.5 million people) continue to live in tent camps in the capital, Port-au-Prince after the earthquake 10 months ago, i.e. in January 2010.

Both the government and relief organizations / aid agencies have appealed to the earthquake victims who are living in the tent camps around the capital, Port-au-Prince to leave their emergency shelter. But the Haitians are reluctant to do so out of fear that the camps will then be closed. And where to go?

The relief organizations prepare for a race against time to bring the homeless to a safer place. Some people have been evacuated, but in that connection there has been some unrest as the inhabitants fear that they cannot return as the tent camps will be closed. They do not want to lose that little they have left.

Due to the enormous amount of rain, floods might come down from the mountain sides and worsen the situation in cholera-stricken Haiti. The situation is not expected to be better before in 36 hours at the earliest.

380 mm rain is expected in only 24 hours!! The centre of “TOMAS” will pass near the western HAITI.

More than 300,000 died in the devastating earthquake in January 2010, and 1.5 million Haitians became homeless.


German ARDtext evening plus DR1 News / TV2 News: HURRICANE NOW RAVAGING HAITI

Numerous towns in the earthquake-marked Caribbean state were fully flooded as “TOMAS” swept the western part of HAITI with heavy rain and storms.

Close to the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince, a tent camp – the home of earthquake victims - was fully flooded.

[nancyk58]

NEWS ON 6 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11700977
6 November 2010 Last updated at 00:15 GMT

FATAL FLOODS AS HURRICANE TOMAS SWEEPS OVER HAITI

Heavy rain from Hurricane Tomas has battered WESTERN HAITI, causing FLOODS which have killed at least four people.

The eye of the storm clipped the island with winds of 140km/h (85mph). Up to 25cm of rain was forecast.

There is a danger of MUDSLIDES and further flooding, which could worsen the current cholera epidemic affecting parts of the country.

But the storm appeared to have spared the hundreds of thousands of people who rode it out in flimsy tent camps.

The BBC's Laura Trevelyan, in Haiti, said many people have already spent one miserable, windy, muddy night in exposed conditions.

The government had urged those living in tented homes to find better shelter, but many said they had nowhere to go.

Our correspondent says that the storm has underlined the fact that nearly a year after Haiti's devastating earthquake, more than 1.3m people are still living in makeshift canvas homes.

CHOLERA FEARS
Rains continued off and on for hours after the storm moved on to Cuba.

And there were fears that the death toll could rise once isolated areas of the country were reached.

On Friday evening, the southern town of LEOGANE was completely under water three metres (10 feet) deep in places, civil defence official Philippe Joseph was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.

"We are going to have more victims because of the floods and mudslides, but we cannot yet reach the communities most affected," the official said.

In the city of Port-au-Prince, Haitians were up to their ankles in water in some of the refugee camps that have grown up around the city since the earthquake.

There are fears that the conditions could help incubate and facilitate the spread
of cholera, our correspondent says.

Few refugees heeded the government warning to evacuate, although mothers and babies were evacuated from an exposed camp near the mountains, our correspondent says.

Four people were killed attempting to cross rivers by car or on foot in the mountainous region to the west of Leogane, Haitian officials said. Two more people were missing in Leogane.

SITUATION 'PRECARIOUS'
President Rene Preval had earlier pleaded with people to "protect" their lives. But he acknowledged that the authorities did not "have enough places [on buses] to move everyone".

TWO CATASTROPHES that we are managing. The first is the HURRICANE and the second is CHOLERA," the president said in a television and radio address.[/COLOR]

Stefano Zannini, Medecins Sans Frontieres' head of mission in Haiti, described the situation as "precarious".

The US National Hurricane Center has warned of hurricane conditions - winds of 74mph or greater - for HAITI, the south-eastern BAHAMAS, the CAICOS ISLANDS and the CUBAN province of Guantanamo.

It also issued a tropical storm warning for JAMAICA and the CUBAN PROVINCES of Santiago de Cuba and Holguin. Doctors have warned that torrential rain could flood sanitary installations and contaminate drinking water, worsening a cholera epidemic in the country.

On Wednesday health officials said there had been a 40% jump in the number of new cholera cases and the death toll was 442, with 105 more deaths since Saturday.

Danish TV2 news + DR1 + Swedish SVT: HURRICANE TOMAS IN HAITI HAS COST 6 HUMAN LIVES

So far 6 people has been killed in Haiti by the hurricane Tomas which hit the Caribbean state on Friday.

The enormous amounts of rain that fell over HAITI caused the loss of human lives. The victims died due to the floods or because their houses collapsed according to local media.

The relief organizations estimate that HAITI has got off cheap from the hurricane.
It was feared that the flimsy refugee camps established after the January earthquake could not withstand the rain.

The tropical storm passed during the daytime between CUBA and HAITI. So far only 7 deaths have been reported compared to the hurricanes in 2004 and 2008 when thousands of people died.

As expected the storm has damaged the tent camps where many earthquake victims have lived since the January earthquake.


German ARDtext and ZDFtext: HURRICANE TOMAS SWEEPS OVER HAITI – AT LEAST 4 DIED

The seaport LEOGANE was flooded, and at least 2 were missing according to the authorities.

The town is situated in south-west Haiti and was 90% destroyed in the devastating earthquake in January.

Numerous families fled the floods thus leaving their emergency / makeshift shelters.

Relief organizations feared that the tropical storm could lead to a further spread of cholera in Haiti. The max speed reached by hurricane Tomas was 140 km per hour.

Also the streets in capital Port-au-Prince are partly under water.


Danish DR1, evening: HAITI GOT OFF CHEAP FROM HURRICANE TOMAS

According to Peder Damm who is Danish Red Cross’ country coordinator for Haiti, the country got off much cheaper than expected.

Many houses are partly under water. “200-300 tents have been destroyed, but it could have been much worse. It’s over in 3-4 days.”

He has received information that 2 died due to the hurricane. Earlier, several media reported that 6 have been killed in the hurricane.

[nancyk58]

Swedish SVT/German ARDtext + ZDFtext: MORE THAN 500 DEAD DUE TO CHOLERA IN HAITI

7,359 are treated for the disease at the hospital.

Since Wednesday the disease has caused almost 60 new deaths according to the Health Department and more than 600 additional Haitians have been hospitalized.

The first cases of cholera appeared 2 weeks ago. Before then cholera did not appear in the Caribbean state. The infection is mainly caused by contaminated water.

The Haitian authorities fear that the death toll will rise due to Friday's rain and floods after the tropical storm TOMAS.

Out of HAITI's 20 million inhabitants, 1.3 million are living in tents, refugee camps or are sleeping in the open which implies a HIGH RISK of RAPID SPREADING of CHOLERA INFECTION.

[nancyk58]

Swedish SVT/German ARDtext + ZDFtext: MORE THAN 500 DEAD DUE TO CHOLERA IN HAITI

7,359 are treated for the disease at the hospital.

Since Wednesday the disease has caused almost 60 new deaths according to the Health Department and more than 600 additional Haitians have been hospitalized.

The first cases of cholera appeared 2 weeks ago. Before then cholera did not appear in the Caribbean state. The infection is mainly caused by contaminated water.

The Haitian authorities fear that the death toll will rise due to Friday's rain and floods after the tropical storm TOMAS.

Out of HAITI's 20 million inhabitants, 1.3 million are living in tents, refugee camps or are sleeping in the open which implies a HIGH RISK of RAPID SPREADING of CHOLERA INFECTION.

[nancyk58]

NEWS ON 8 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO HAITI

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11709101
8 November 2010 Last updated at 12:04 GMT

CHOLERA MAY HAVE REACHED HAITIAN CAPITAL, SAYS DOCTOR

A doctor in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, says she has seen cases of suspected cholera, sparking fears that the epidemic has spread to the city.

Dr Kara Gibson of the American charity Samaritan's Purse told the BBC that some people in the city's biggest slum have symptoms of the disease.

The country's health ministry says 501 have died from the disease so far. But health workers say the figure could be higher as many areas have been cut off by flooding after Hurricane Tomas.

More than 7,000 people have been infected across the country, according to the ministry.

Haitian officials have not confirmed the presence of cholera in the city, but there has been concern that the disease is spreading.

'Maxed out'
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan says diarrhoea is common in the country, because so many live in cramped and unhygienic conditions, often without toilets.

But some patients in the slum of Cite Soleil, in Port-au-Prince, have a more severe form of watery diarrhoea - which Dr Gibson says appears to be cholera.

She says there are concerns that the disease will now spread even faster, despite humanitarian efforts to stem it.

"Now that it is in Cite Soleil, you can expect to see it just explode," Dr Gibson told the BBC.

"The hospital in that areas is already at capacity. It is maxed out in a manner of a day and there is just no other site," she says.

Local authorities and relief agencies have been attempting to get clean drinking water to those areas worse affected by Hurricane TOMAS, which caused flooding and left eight people dead.

There was flooding in Leogane, Les Cayes, Jacmel and Gonaives, while many mountain towns have been cut off by flooded roads and landslides.

Although the hurricane passed without destroying the tented camps in and around the capital - which house about 1.3 million survivors of January's earthquake - there were fears over the increased risk of cholera.

Cholera is caused by bacteria transmitted through contaminated water or food.
It causes diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to severe dehydration, but can kill quickly. It is treated easily through rehydration and antibiotics.


On Friday, Haiti's government and the United Nations appealed to donors for nearly $19m (£11.7m) to cover urgent humanitarian needs.

[nancyk58]

NEWS ON 9 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO HAITI

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11721995
9 November 2010 Last updated at 22:47 GMT

HAITI: CHOLERA CONFIRMED IN PORT-AU-PRINCE

The health ministry in Port-au-Prince has confirmed that the country's cholera outbreak has reached the Haitian capital.

Doctors are treating 73 people for the disease, amid fears that it could spread across the quake-hit city.

Meanwhile, the Pan American Health Organisation (Paho) says it expects tens of thousands more Haitians to catch cholera in the next few years.

The health ministry says so far 583 people have died in the epidemic.

Dozens of suspected cases are also being investigated in Port-au-Prince, which has feared an outbreak since October.

Across the country, more than 9,000 people are being treated for symptoms of the disease, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Health minister Ariel Henry said that a sizeable outbreak in Port-au-Prince now appeared likely.

"It's coming," Mr Henry told the AFP news agency.

'Foothold'
The deputy director of the Pan American Health Organisation (Paho), Jon Kim Andrus, said his organisation expected cholera transmission in Port-au-Prince "to be extensive".

Mr Andrus said Paho and other organisations were preparing for a long-running epidemic likely to infect tens of thousands of people across Haiti over the next few years.

"The disease now has a foothold in Haiti's river system," he added.

Mr Andrus said that while it is impossible to predict the development of the epidemic in Haiti, for planning purposes Paho has extrapolated from the 1991 cholera outbreak in Peru, which spread to 16 Latin American countries over six years.

Comparing the population figures of Peru and Haiti and factoring in the number of cholera cases in Peru during the outbreak in the 1990s, the organisation thinks that 270,000 people in Haiti could fall ill.

"But the number in Haiti could be even higher, because the conditions there are worse than in Peru," Mr Andrus told the BBC.

So far the Haitian death rate has also been higher than that registered during the Latin American epidemic, he added.

While trying to educate the population about prevention and treatment of the disease, reducing the fatality rate of the disease in the Caribbean country remained a top priority, Mr Andrus said.

'High alert'
Paho said it was also on "high alert" over the risk of cholera spreading to the neighbouring Dominican Republic and has sent experts to prepare for a possible outbreak in that country.

Mr Andrus warned there could be an "upsurge" in cholera cases in Haiti in the coming days as a result of water and sanitation problems caused by Hurricane Tomas at the end of last week.

"We have every reason to expect that the widespread flooding has increased the risk of cholera spreading."

The water-borne disease has already spread to half of Haiti's 10 regions.

The storm at the end of last week left 20 people dead, with 36 injured and 11 missing, officials said.

Aid agencies say the main concern is that the flooding could result in people lacking access to basic sanitation and being forced to drink contaminated water.

The hurricane passed without destroying the tented camps in and around Port-au-Prince, which house about 1.3 million survivors of January's earthquake.

Aid workers say those living in the tent cities have better access to toilets and clean drinking water than the residents of some of the capital's long-standing slums, says the BBC's Laura Trevelyan in Port-au-Prince.

But if more cases are confirmed, the outbreak could threaten an estimated 2.5 to THREE MILLION people in Port-au-Prince.

Cholera itself causes diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to severe dehydration. It can kill quickly but is treated easily through rehydration and antibiotics.


Cholera outlook for Haiti


• Tens of thousands likely to be infected over next few years
• Spread in Port-au-Prince likely to be extensive
• Upsurge in cases likely over next few days as a consequence of flooding caused by Hurricane Tomas
• High risk of outbreak in the Dominican Republic
• Eradication will take time, as cholera bacteria now has foothold in the river system
• Death rate expected to fall with time as percentage of overall cases
(Source: Paho)



Swedish SVT earlier today: CHOLERA THREATENS HAITI’S CAPITAL, PORT-AU-PRINCE - CONFIRMED CHOLERA

Increasing fears of cholera in the earthquake-ravaged country after hurricane TOMAS swept across Haiti.

At least 120 suspected cases of cholera was tested yesterday in Port-au-Prince. CHOLERA has now been CONFIRMED.

UP TO 3 MILLION HAITIANS ARE THREATENED – HALF OF WHICH ARE LIVING IN TENT CAMPS AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE IN JANUARY.

More than 500 Haitians (583) have so far died of cholera, and 8,000 infected are treated in hospital.

[nancyk58]

News on 10 November 2010 in relation to HAITI


German ZDFtext: HAITI: CHOLERA REACHES THE CAPITAL, PORT-AU-PRINCE

In Haiti the cholera epidemic has reached the capital. Hospitals report dozens of infected Haitians.

The epidemic has already cost 583 HUMAN LIVES since the outbreak in the middle of October in North Haiti.

The situation worsened last week-end due to the hurricane TOMAS which caused 21 human lives according to the authorities.

FLOODS threaten in particular the poor districts with no access to clean water and toilets according to experts.

Swedish SVT: HAITI's CHOLERA EPIDEMIC HAS WORSENED

The number of deaths in Haiti approaches 600. The authorities try to stop the epidemic described as a national health risk.

73 CASES of CHOLERA CONFIRMED IN THE CAPITAL, PORT-AU-PRINCE. 1 PERSON HAS DIED.

9,100 have been hospitalized in HAITI and MORE THAN 580 HAVE DIED.

From the town Gonaives where more than 60 are said to have died in the last couple of days, AFP reports that there has been panic as taxi drivers refused to drive the infected to a hospital for treatment.

[nancyk58]

NEWS ON 11 NOVEMBER IN RELATION TO HAITI


CHOLERA OUTBREAK CONTINUES TO DEVASTATE HAITI

http://www.care2.com/causes/health-p...vastate-haiti/ By Suzi Parrasch, who is a writer.

Haiti's cholera epidemic is spiraling upwards. Nearly 10,000 people are now hospitalized throughout the country with symptoms including serious diarrhea, vomiting and fever.

As the disease has now migrated from the countryside to the capital city of Port au Prince, healthcare experts are bracing for an even more severe outbreak than they had originally estimated.

HAITI just can't seem to get a break. Already the POOREST NATION in the Western Hemisphere, the CHOLERA OUTBREAK comes on the heels of HURRICANE TOMAS, which skirted the island last Friday, and January's EARTHQUAKE which devastated an already devastated country.

Compounding the abject poverty that runs rampant today, an estimated one million people still live in makeshift tent camps around Port au Prince that were set up in the wake of the earthquake. Squalid conditions in the camps are a breeding ground for disease. TORRENTIAL RAINS brought on by Hurricane Tomas only further exacerbate already dire sanitary conditions.

The stories being reported are heartbreaking.

The New York Times described a crowd outside a clinic in the town of St. Denis the other day, which included a father cradling his sick 3-year-old son:


"Several of them said, yes, they drank water from a river known to be contaminated with the cholera-causing bacteria. And, no, they don't always have money to buy bottled water. We know there may be cholera in there, but sometimes it is all we have to drink," said Alienne Cilencrieux, 24. "If we have Clorox, we pour some in and drink it. It tastes bad. Or we dig in the ground until we find water and drink that."

Patrick Camille, from a Haitian human rights group called GARR, told NPR that a "profound 'lack of leadership' is putting people's lives at risk. As NPR also said "the leadership vacuum is compounded right now by the fact that Haiti is holding presidential elections later this month," adding that "billions of dollars in promised international aid has been slow in coming."

Criticism aside, as the Associated Press reported Wednesday, "nobody knows how cholera came to Haiti. An outbreak of some sort was expected in the wake of the January 12 earthquake, but this came out of the blue -- there had never been a case of cholera confirmed in the island nation. So far nobody is investigating the cause; suspicions are high that the South Asian strain was carried by U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal, but the case is politically sensitive and health organizations who might investigate say they are currently focused on controlling its spread."

Humanitarian groups, including Partners in Health and Doctors Without Borders have been working tirelessly in the country, and aid organizations are mobilizing to get supplies, including purification kits and clean water, into the camps.

In the meantime, no one really knows exactly how many people have died of cholera in Haiti even in the last few days, since getting verified numbers is difficult at best. The Los Angeles Times reported: "the official death toll nationally Tuesday was 538 but people appeared to be dying at a rapid pace. In Port au Prince there were at least 73 cases, and health officials said they feared the disease could afflict hundreds of thousands over several years."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11729765
10 November 2010 Last updated at 22:15 GMT

CHOLERA DEATH TOLL IN HAITI PASSES 600 (is at least 644)

The death toll from cholera across Haiti has risen to 644, as aid workers fight to contain the spread of the disease in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

At least 10,000 people suffering from cholera are in hospitals across the country.

Doctors in Port-au-Prince say they are alarmed at the speed at which new cases are emerging.

A senior health ministry official said the epidemic was now "a matter of national security".

The ministry on Tuesday confirmed the disease had reached Port-au-Prince, which had feared an outbreak since October.

About 170 people are now being treated in hospitals in the city, according to the Pan-American Health Organisation (Paho). One person has died.

'Cross the border'
Dan Epstein, a Paho spokesman, said the organisation expected 270,000 Haitians to be infected by the disease in "between six months and a year", according to modelling based on a past outbreak in Peru.

"What's really important to us now is the trend of where it is and the long term trend of where it is going to be," he told the BBC.

"Its hard to predict the impact. But it's very likely that cholera is going to be in Haiti for a while," he added.

Paho has warned that there is a real risk of the epidemic crossing the border into the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

The organisation says that trying to educate the population about prevention and treatment of the disease, thereby reducing the fatality rate of the disease in the Caribbean country, remains a priority.

The disease broke out in the Artibonite River valley in central Haiti in mid-October and initially seemed to have been contained, but cases have since soared.

Officials are warning that a sizeable outbreak in Port-au-Prince, where 1.3 million earthquake survivors live in tents, is now likely.

"The epidemic of cholera, a highly contagious disease, is no longer a simple emergency, it's now a matter of national security," the director of Haiti's health ministry, Gabriel Thimote, told a news conference.

Meanwhile, desperate scenes were described in the northern town of Gonaives, in the Artibonite region.

"Sick people died on the way to the hospital, the bodies were covered in blankets and left near the town cemetery," mayor Adolphe Jean-Francois told AFP.

The water-borne disease has already spread to half of Haiti's 10 regions.

Flooding caused by Hurricane TOMAS is believed to have exacerbated conditions and helped spread the disease further, officials have said. The storm at the end of last week left 20 people dead, with 36 injured and 11 missing.

Cholera itself causes diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to severe dehydration. It can kill quickly but is treated easily through rehydration and antibiotics.

CHOLERA OUTLOOK FOR HAITI

• Tens of thousands likely to be infected over next few years
• Spread in Port-au-Prince likely to be extensive
• Upsurge in cases likely over next few days as a consequence of flooding caused by Hurricane Tomas
• High risk of outbreak in the Dominican Republic
• Eradication will take time, as cholera bacteria now has foothold in the river system
• Death rate expected to fall with time as percentage of overall cases

(Source: Paho)


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11729665
10 November 2010 Last updated at 17:04 GMT

HAITI RACES TO STEM CHOLERA EPIDEMIC

By David Walker BBC News

Health officials and medical agencies in Haiti are racing to stem a cholera epidemic that has reached the crowded capital Port-au-Prince and threatens to spiral out of control.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is struggling to get a clear picture of the situation.

"I wouldn't say it is out of control but it is a huge challenge," said Claire-Lise Chaignat, head of the WHO's global cholera taskforce.

"We know that cases have now reached [the capital] Port-au-Prince, but there are quite a lot of areas we have no knowledge of, for example the rural areas," she told the BBC.

"We are very concerned about the strength of the epidemic in Port-au-Prince because we know that people are living in terrible conditions where the water is very poor quality, there is hardly any sanitation and it is overcrowded. This might be a big outbreak."

'Explosive setting'
Cholera is a bacterial disease spread by contaminated drinking water or food, but is treatable with oral or intravenous rehydration and antibiotics.

Stefano Zannini, Medecins Sans Frontieres' head of mission in Haiti, described the situation as "worrying and complicated".

"At the moment people are focusing on Port-au-Prince, but from the north and the north-west we are hearing of a catastrophic situation with bodies in the streets," he told the BBC.

"Port-au-Prince is probably the most explosive setting, but the situation in other parts of Haiti is not so easy at all."

Mr Zannini said about 400 beds were available in cholera treatment centres (CTCs) across the country and another 600 would be in place by the end of the week.

He said they were also putting up tents in parts of Port-au-Prince where anyone with symptoms can be treated and if necessary be referred to a hospital or CTC.

"We have two big challenges - the first is the lack of medical personnel. The second is getting the information about cholera to the population. Many people are still not aware of the need to go straight to hospital if they are sick."

Ms Chaignat said a priority was to make sure people had access to clean water.
"The situation that the population is living in is absolutely disastrous," she said.

"If we want to stop the outbreak we have to make sure the people don't get contaminated any more and that is by having a safe water supply, and ensuring people use proper hygiene and good food safety practices.

She said that supplies were stockpiled but could become stretched if the epidemic worsens.

"At the moment there is a small proportion of cases who need IV (intravenous) fluids, but if you have 100 cases that on average need 10l (2.2 gallons) you already need 1,000l of IV fluid and logistically that is challenging. Haiti has never had a cholera epidemic before and this is new for everybody."

Alerting population
The British Red Cross has been sending hygiene promotion volunteers door-to-door across refugee camps to advise people how to keep themselves and their families safe.

The agency has also broadcast hygiene advice to hundreds of thousands of people using mobile phone text messages, local radio and newspapers.

Borry Jatta, the British Red Cross sanitation expert in Port-au-Prince, said: "Once people have the disease, treatment is vital, but prevention is the real key.

Providing clean water and sanitation, and letting people know how they can protect themselves can cut the chain of transmission."

The agency says it is boosting supplies of intravenous drips, rehydration salts and antibiotics, and delivering 2.5m litres of clean water every day.

"In the camps we can provide those elements, but there are hundreds-of-thousands more living in Port-au-Prince who don't have access to clean water, and who don't have access to decent toilets," said Mr Jatta.

"We are doing all we can, but despite that, cholera in Port-au-Prince still has the potential to be a massive humanitarian disaster."

Medecins Sans Frontieres says its staff are now treating all cases of severe diarrhoea according to standard cholera treatment guidelines.

Hurricane Tomas
More than 70 people are being treated for the disease in the city and health workers say there are dozens more suspected cases.

The disease had already killed more than 540 people when Hurricane TOMAS swept in last week, flooding areas where earthquake survivors were already living with only basic sanitation.

The storm also flooded rivers including the Artibonite, believed to be one the main sources of the cholera outbreak.

Jon Kim Andrus, deputy director of the Pan American Health Organisation (Paho), warned that cholera transmission in Port-au-Prince was expected "to be extensive".

Gabriel Thimote, Haiti's health ministry director, has said the cholera epidemic was now "a matter of national security".

However, US State Department Spokesman PJ Crowley said he believed the Haitian government's aggressive response, along with the help of international partners, should help contain the disease.

"Tragically, we know that people will die from cholera even though it is a very treatable disease," he said.

"But, through a combination of the improved surveillance, the pre-positioned stocks that are on hand in Haiti, that Haiti is well positioned to contain the outbreak."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11727022
10 November 2010 Last updated at 17:56 GMT

CHOLERA IN HAITI: A CHARITY WORKER's DIARY

A cholera outbreak in Haiti has reached the capital city of Port-au-Prince.Tens of thousands of people are expected to catch the water-born disease as a result of SANITATION PROBLEMS caused by Hurricane Tomas.

Elysia Nisan is working in the Haitian capital for the charity, Save the Children.
She will be giving the BBC regular updates on the relief effort.

WEDNESDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2010

Cholera hasn't surfaced yet in any of the camps where we work but we are preparing for it.

In places where thousands of people are living in cramped conditions with poor sanitation cholera can take a strong hold and spread like wildfire. Poor sanitation and unclean water is how it spreads.

We are informing the public on how they can protect themselves, by washing their hands with soap and only drinking treated water and eating food that has been prepared cleanly.

We are also equipping our health clinics with additional supplies of oral rehydration salts (ORS), which is the primary action to take when someone gets cholera.

The killer is DEHYDRATION, so with enough ORS water they can survive cholera.
We are making sure all our water points are clean and functioning well because they will become very important when cholera surfaces in the camps.

Our staff are focusing on the task of preparing but there is a fear of what may come.

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LATEST HEADLINES in relation to HAITI:

Swedish SVT: CHOLERA SPREADING FAST IN HAITI
Danish TV2 News: CHOLERA DEATHS IN HAITI RISING DRAMATICALLY
German ZDFtext: HAITI: MORE THAN 700 CHOLERA DEATHS - 724


The death toll reached 724 on Thursday. That is 80 more deaths in only 24 hours. ZDF: 4 died in Port-au-Prince within the last 24 hours.

The number of infected: More than 11,000 or an increase of more than 1,000 in only 24 hours.

Most deaths - almost 500 - have been recorded in the Arbonite region.

All figures are stated by Haiti's Health authorities.



German ARDtext: URGENT AID FROM GERMAN GOVERNMENT - SO FAR MORE THAN 700 DEATHS IN HAITI

200,000 Euro made available for provision of clean drinking water and hygienic measures.

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NEWS ON 12 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO HAITI


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11743629
12 November 2010 Last updated at 16:02 GMT

UN IN APPEAL FOR HAITI CHOLERA FUND / NEW UN PLEA FOR HAITI CHOLERA AID / HAITI CHOLERA OUTBREAK PROMPTS FRESH UN AID PLEA

The UN has appealed for nearly $164m (£102m) to fight a cholera outbreak in Haiti which has now claimed 724 lives.

UN spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs (OCHA) said that unless funds were provided, "all our efforts can be outrun by the epidemic".

She said the disease had so far infected at least 11,125 people in five of Haiti's 10 districts.

Aid agencies are battling to contain cholera in the capital Port-au-Prince, amid fears it will spread through camps housing 1.1m earthquake survivors.

More than 80 people have died in the past 24 hours across the country, according to the health ministry.

HIGH FATALITY RATE

Ms Byrs, of the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said the funds will be used to bring in more doctors, medicines and water-purification equipment.

"We absolutely need this money as soon as possible," she said.

Stefano Zannini, head of mission for Medecins Sans Frontieres in Haiti, said on Friday that hospitals in Port-au-Prince are overflowing and patients may have to be treated in the streets.

"We are really worried about space," he said.
"If the number of cases continues to increase at the same rate, then we are going to have to adopt some drastic measures. We are going to have to use public spaces and even streets. I can easily see this situation deteriorating to the point where patients are lying in the street, waiting for treatment. At the moment, we just don't have that many options."

The World Health Organization said on Friday it did not expect the epidemic to end soon.

The projections of 200,000 cases over the next six to 12 months shows the amplitude of what could be expected," said spokesman Gregory Hartl.

He said that the current FATALITY RATE of 6.5% was far higher than it should be.


"No-one alive in Haiti has experienced cholera before, so it is a population which is very susceptible to the bacteria," he said. "Once it is in water systems it transmits very easily."

The outbreak began in Haiti's Artibonite River valley in mid-October and at first seemed to have been contained.

But Hurricane TOMAS, which struck earlier this month, flooded rivers believed to be contaminated with cholera and submerged refugee communities already struggling to survive.

The disease is spread by contaminated drinking water or food, but is treatable with oral or intravenous rehydration and antibiotics.

Aid agencies say access to CLEAN WATER is a major problem, and they are struggling to get the MESSAGE across to Haitians to seek medical help as soon as cholera-like symptoms appear.

Even before the earthquake only 40% of Haitians had safe drinking water.

Haiti's besieged health services have been warned to expect a different scale of disaster if cholera takes hold in the capital, which was devastated by January's earthquake that left more than 250,000 people dead.

"We greatly fear a flare-up in the capital which would be serious given the conditions in the camps," Claude Surena, president of the Haitian Medical Association, told AFP news agency.

AID DELAYED

Meanwhile, the first portion of US financial aid for reconstruction in Haiti is on its way, more than seven months after it was promised to help the country re-build after the earthquake in January.


The $120m (£74m) - about a tenth of the amount pledged in total by the US - has faced several delays.


Only 37.8% of the money pledged by all countries for 2010-11 has been delivered to the poverty-stricken nation.


Danish DR1 / Swedish SVT: UN WILL FIGHT CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN HAITI

So far 724 have died due to cholera in Haiti, says UN which appeals to the international community to finance a massive effort to fight the cholera outbreak in Haiti.

UN appeals for 163.8m $ ( £102m) to bring in more doctors, medicines and water-purification equipment. The effort must be able to treat 200,000 Haitians. According to UN, at least 11,125 Haitians have been infected.

The cholera cases are registered in 5 or Haiti’s 10 districts. The main concern is the increasing number of cases in the capital, Port-au-Prince where hundred thousands live in makeshift camps with NO ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION / SEWERAGE.


German ARDtext: URGENT AID TO HAITI FROM THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT AT 200,000 EURO / DEATH TOLL SO FAR OVER 800


TV2 News evening, live: INDICATION THAT RELIEF WORKERS BROUGHT CHOLERA TO HAITI - MORE THAN 800 DEAD.

UN APPEAL FOR 163.8 MILLION $.

REASON FOR THIS NEW APPEAL: THE DONOR COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT TO PAY THE PLEDGED AMOUNTS TO HAITI BECAUSE THAT COUNTRY HAS CORRUPT AUTHORITIES