WHO reports 18,000 new cholera cases in Haitian capital as epidemic intensifies

WHO reports 18,000 new cholera cases in Haitian capital as epidemic intensifies

2011-06-24 23:37:23 GMT+7 (ICT)

GENEVA (BNO NEWS) -- The number of cholera cases in Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic is on the rise as more than 18,000 new cases have been recorded in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

The ongoing cholera epidemic began in Haiti in October last year while the country is still recovering from a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake which struck near Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010, killing up to 316,000 people and leaving more than 1.5 million others homeless.

According to new data from the Haitian Ministry of Public Health, there have been 344,623 confirmed cases of cholera since the epidemic began. Among them are at least 5,397 deaths which have been attributed to the disease.

But a sudden increase of more than 18,000 new cholera cases in Port-au-Prince has concerned the WHO. "This increase may be partly due to the beginning of the rainy season and the flooding that hit the capital," WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said on Friday.

In the Dominican Republic, the health ministry reported that since the first cases were reported in the country late last year, there have been 1,727 confirmed cases, including 46 deaths. The ministry is continuing its epidemiological research and response, which includes improving water quality and sanitation services, and public awareness campaigns on prevention.

Jasarevic said that the occupancy rate of the 2,300 beds in cholera treatment centers in Haiti and the cholera treatment units in the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan area was about 72 percent. Access to clean water and proper sanitation in Haiti remains the main challenge in fighting the epidemic, according to the WHO.

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