The alert adds to an already extremely difficult socio-economic situation in Port-au-Prince. On Tuesday, the UN expressed concern over a “marked increase” in cholera cases in Haiti with the number of suspected cases almost doubling in just a few days.
“Until a few days ago, the increase in cholera cases was gradual, but now we see a clear and worrying growth, so the situation is getting more complicated,” the UN humanitarian coordinator in the country wrote in a blog post. Ulrika Richardson. .
more drinking water
The disease, although deadly, is “preventable and treatable” so “immediate action is needed”, he added, praising the “rapid and decisive” response of the authorities and NGOs despite the chaos caused by the closure of the main oil terminal by gangs for a month.
“According to the Haitian Ministry of Health, the number of suspected cases almost doubled between October 20 and 23, from about 1,000 to almost 2,000,” said Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman during a press conference for the UN Secretary General. Antonio Guterres.
“According to Unicef, children under the age of 14 account for almost half of these suspected cases,” he added, stressing that fuel shortages were making the work of humanitarian workers “much more difficult.”
While the lack of fuel interrupted the distribution of drinking water, crucial in the fight against this disease, Unicef began distributing drinking water to about a thousand people in Cité Soleil, a commune that is “l ‘one of the epicenters’ of this new cholera outbreak, he said.
10,000 deaths in 2019
Ulrika Richardson, who visited several health centers in the worst affected neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, described “heartbreaking scenes”: “children so malnourished that it was difficult to put an infusion in their arm or leg; adults really sick”. Cholera returned to Haiti in early October after a three-year respite.
After the introduction of the bacteria by peacekeepers in 2010, a cholera epidemic spread into 2019, killing more than 10,000 people.
To deal with the country’s paralysis and the deteriorating health and humanitarian situation, the government has asked the international community for help. At the request of Antonio Guterres, the Security Council is considering sending an international force to restore order.
Source: BFM TV
