Haiti: Rains threaten revival of cholera epidemic
Plan has trained over 1,200 health workers to manage strategically placed health sites
17 May 2011: Haiti is facing a rise in cholera outbreaks as the rainy season threatens to revive the epidemic, warns Plan.
Nearly 5,000 people have died in Haiti since the outbreak of cholera in October last year, mostly due to lack of safe water and poor access to healthcare.
Plan action
John Chaloner, Plan’s country director in Haiti, said: “Since the beginning of the epidemic, Plan is making sure that vulnerable people, especially children, receive: free access to safe and clean drinking water; life-saving rehydration treatments near their homes; and key public health messages.”
In the North-east, West and South-east - 3 of Haiti’s 10 administrative departments - Plan is working closely with Haiti’s Ministry of Health on cholera awareness, prevention and treatment.
Life-saving kits
Over the past months, Plan has delivered some 35,000 kits to families, each containing oral rehydration salts, soap, chlorine and drinking water containers along with instructions in Creole.
We have trained over 1,200 health workers in how to manage strategically placed health sites, where anyone who has fallen ill can reach trained health personnel and access lifesaving rehydration treatment.
Plan Haiti is also providing and installing 1,000 gallon water cisterns in hundreds of schools and community health centres to ensure sustainable access to safe and clean drinking water for as many people as possible.
Funding gap
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has also warned that cholera cases could dramatically rise with the heavy rains expected between June and November. The organisation has drawn attention to a wide funding gap for the $125,000,000 UN cholera response appeal which has been only 48% covered by donors.
John Chaloner added: “All-around decreased funding for cholera from international donors is causing concern that the NGOs may not be able to adequately fill the gaps that the local health authorities cannot cover. The impact will be felt particularly in hard-to-reach communities, likely to be worst affected during the rainy season.”
Plan's cholera response is integrated with its earthquake recovery programme. Read more about Plan's Haiti recovery work.
Download 'Plan's response to cholera in Haiti' report.
