Above: treatment for cholera in Haiti in 2010 (UN Photo/Marco Dormino)
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Haiti has seen a surge in suspected cholera cases since Hurricane Sandy, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration.
The number of confirmed cases now stands at 3,593, with a total of 837 suspected cases in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan areas and the Upper Artibonite region.
The organization said it had provided just under 10,000 cholera kits to 31 camps in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area since the alert began.
“The IOM health team continues the surveillance, monitoring and case management of suspected cholera cases, as well as awareness sessions twice a week in camps and distributions according to the needs,” said Kristin Parco, IOM Health Programme Manager. “The needs are still vast in terms of support to the government of Haiti in responding to cholera.”
The IOM said that as environmental conditions in Haiti deteriorate, future natural disasters will “continue to disproportionately affect the country,” particularly the nearly 370,000 people still living in camps since the January 2010 earthquake.
According to a number of scientific studies, Haiti’s cholera outbreak, which began in 2010, was the result of being carried over by UN peacekeepers from Nepal.