News

Haiti: UN Appoints Paul Farmer to Help Lead Anti-Cholera Efforts

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - December 28, 2012 - 9:32 pm

Above: a cholera treatment centre in Haiti (UN Photo/Logan Abassi)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has officially appointed Dr Paul Farmer to help “galvanize support” for anti-cholera efforts in Haiti.

The move was first announced when the UN launched a renewed fight to eliminate cholera in Haiti and the Dominican Republic earlier this month.

That plan will invest in “prevention, treatment and education,” according to the world body, as well as the use of an oral vaccine to fight cholera.

Farmer, who co-founded health organization Partners in Health, is a professor at Harvard University. He is considered one of the world’s leading experts on global health care.

Farmer previously served as the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Haiti from 2009 to 2012, focusing on economic and social development.

His official title is Special Advisor for Community-Based Medicine and Lessons from Haiti.

“He has pioneered novel community-based treatment strategies that successfully show that quality health care can be delivered in resource-poor settings,” Ban said in the announcement.

More than 7,750 people in Haiti have been killed since the outbreak of the cholera epidemic in Haiti.

Several studies have alleged that the disease was brought to Haiti by UN peacekeepers from Nepal.

Popular Posts antigua long bay

25 Perfect Caribbean Beaches to Add to Your Summer Bucket List

There’s nothing like a Caribbean beach in summer. The crowds thin out, the winds relax, and the islands start breathing in a different way. The beaches you thought you knew feel new again— stretches of sand once packed with winter […]


The 15 Best Hotels in Trinidad and Tobago, From Hidden Eco-Retreats to Luxury Towers

trinidad and tobago hotels where to stay

From Port of Spain to Tobago’s quiet coasts, these are the places to check in now No two Caribbean islands are quite like Trinidad and Tobago—and no two hotels here feel the same. This is a destination of contrast: Carnival […]


Jamaica Just Got an Upgraded US Travel Advisory: “A Great Step Forward” 

seven mile beach white sand

Last year’s US Travel Advisory led to a slowdown in tourist arrivals to Jamaica. But in what’s hoped to be a major shift, the US State Department just upgraded Jamaica’s rating.  Jamaica’s travel advisory has improved from Level 3 to […]


Related Posts haiti spirit airlines cap-haitien

Spirit Relaunches Flights to Cap-Haitien, Haiti

Spirit Airlines has relaunched its flights from Fort Lauderdale to Cap-Haitien on the northern coast of Haiti.  The low-cost carrier resumed the service between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Cap-Haitien International Airport on Dec. 3.  The service is the only […]


Eastern Airlines Is Launching Flights to the Dominican Republic

dominican republic eastern airlines

The revived Eastern Airlines is back in the Caribbean.  The new iteration of the once-legendary carrier is set to launch expanded Caribbean flights in December with service to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  Eastern Airlines will be launching twice-weekly flights from […]


From The Bahamas to Jamaica, The Talking Heads’ Caribbean Love Story

bahamas talking heads jamaica

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz’s new book, Remain in Love, is a billet-doux to his bandmate and wife of more than 40 years, bassist Tina Weymouth, as well as documenting the couple’s musical journey together — first, as part of […]