Cholera

In October 2010, cholera broke out in Haiti for the first time in decades, devastating the country while it was still recovering from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands and left millions homeless just nine months earlier. In typical conditions, cholera can be treated easily with an oral rehydration solution or, in severe cases, via intravenous fluids to replace what is lost to vomiting and diarrhea. With quick treatment, nearly all patients recover. Left untreated, however, the dehydration and shock caused by the disease can kill within a matter of hours.

In Haiti, the country’s already-poor infrastructure had been additionally damaged by the earthquake, leaving conditions ripe for water- and food-borne diseases; within a month’s time, the cholera outbreak had spread across the country and killed almost 1,000 people. By the end of the year the death toll in Haiti had passed 3,000, and the Haitian government predicted that there would be more than 400,000 cases by the end of October 2011. Now, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of California San Francisco have found that the number may reach almost twice that, predicting 779,000 cases of cholera and 11,100 deaths by the end of November. More

Cholera affects 3-5 million people each year, killing more than 100,000. The diarrheal disease, spread by contaminated food and water, is often a major problem in disaster areas where a clean water supply and sanitation facilities are limited or unavailable.

Haiti, still recovering from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010, is experiencing a growing cholera outbreak that has so far killed 259 people. Haiti’s Le Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population (Ministry for Public Health and the Population, or MSPP) reported 3,342 confirmed cases as of October 26, but Dr. Jon Andrus, Deputy Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) stated in a press briefing on October 25 that the true number of cases is likely to be significantly higher than the confirmed number. Dr. Andrus noted that about 75% of people infected with cholera do not experience symptoms (called “asymptomatic infection”). These individuals can still spread the bacteria, however. Dr. Andrus also stated that while the increase in new cases has recently slowed, there is still a concern that the Haitian outbreak could spread to the Dominican Republic. More