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Why Cholera in Haiti, Why Now?

October 23, 2010

Alanna Shaik

Haiti is currently facing its first cholera outbreak in a hundred years. It’s not a surprise, exactly. It was something public health experts have been afraid of since the earthquake. But after nine months, we were starting to hope maybe it wouldn’t happen.

According to the BBC, 196 people have now died, and 2,634 have been hospitalized as the result of the cholera outbreak. It is most likely the result of drinking water from the Artibonite River. A few of the sufferers report drinking only purified water, but they may have gotten the disease from accidentally swallowing bathing water or from food prepared by an infected person.

Cholera is exactly the kind of diseases you worry about after a natural disaster. It comes from drinking water tainted with fecal matter, which is what happens when infrastructure is destroyed and people don’t have access to clean water or functioning toilets. Cholera is especially hard of children, who dehydrate and very quickly from the diarrhea caused by the disease.

The Haiti Operational Biosurveillance blog is tracking the cholera outbreak. They have confirmed that the disease has spread from the Arbonite valley, and are now researching accounts of cholera within Port au Prince. If it is indeed spreading in Port au Prince, the death and hospitalization rates will shoot up in the densely packed urban environment.

[SNIP]

Melinda Miles, Director of Let Haiti Live, expressed her frustration to UN Dispatch today, “Considering that an outbreak of this nature was predicted nine months ago, it is absolutely stunning that so little was in place to prepare for it.”

Cotinues @ UNDispatch.com

Source: Haiti Biosurveillance blog

Below is a situation map based on available information as of the moment of this posting.  We welcome and encourage our partners in the Twitterverse, HEAS partners, and colleagues we've yet to meet to provide insight into the situation.  We have posted the key guidelines that inform these categorizations earlier today.

We sincerely thank the HEAS partnership community and the Twitterverse who have contributed to better situational awareness.

Current situation map of the Haiti cholera epidemic based on IDIS Category.  As noted, there remains much uncertainty as to the status of several specific local communities' capacities to handle patient demand.  IDIS Cat 3 conditions in Port-au-Prince indicate awareness of an influx of confirmed cholera cases; organized response is currently being cued by awareness of preceding events in Artibonite, whereas cholera was unexpected in Artibonite, which arguably hindered rapid alerting and response.  Red arrows denote apparent vectors of cholera case influx from the original epidemic zone in Artibonite.  Northernmost lead edge is Gonaive, southernmost is Port-au-Prince.  We have no report of cases in Leogane, which was the epicentre of quake damage and the most vulnerable to an epidemic of cholera from the viewpoint of access to basic medical care.

Cholera Treatment Protocol Developed by MSF and MSPP

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This is just terrible development in Haiti. What the report shows is that it is relatively widespread, and that means water is contaminated in many places.  This is really not a good news at all.

 

-- Edited by Sanders on Saturday 23rd of October 2010 09:59:07 PM