Haiti cholera outbreak needs stronger response, top UN relief official stresses

PAHO-WHO official in Haiti demonstrating hygiene practices to deal with cholera

24 November 2010 – The top United Nations humanitarian official has stressed the need for a much stronger international and national response to the cholera epidemic in Haiti during a visit to the Caribbean nation.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) and its regional arm, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), now estimate that based on the speed with which people are being infected, the outbreak that began in late October could affect 400,000 people.

This is considered a worst-case scenario, which is avoidable if the prevention and treatment responses reach people in the poor areas in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and other towns and outlying areas in the country.

“This projection is a wake-up call,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos said yesterday in the capital, Port-au-Prince.