Cholera is especially dangerous because of the short duration of the disease . It can be treated with rehydration and antibiotics but many people do not get help in time. It can cause death in 2 hours. In Haiti there are not enough beds in hospitals for the people, so they are laying on blankets dying. This did not have to happen. I am not religious, but I am Praying for Haiti and anyone with family of friends there. Short diary still speechless.
UPDATE: 7
JacobKushner
194 dead, 2,364 cases. Here's the updated story: http://tinyurl.com/...
HAITI: Health Workers Scramble to Keep Cholera out of Crowded Camps
PIH MUST READ
US withheld humanitarian AID that was going to be used to upgrade water system!
While Haiti has not had a documented case of cholera since the 1960s, the conditions in the lower Artibonite placed the region at high-risk for epidemics of cholera and other water-borne diseases even before the earthquake of January 12, 2010. In 2008, Partners In Health working with partners at the Robert Kennedy Center for Human Rights released a report of the denial of water security as a basic right in Haiti. In 2000, a set of loans from the Inter American Development Bank to the government of Haiti for water, sanitation and health were blocked for political reasons. The city of St. Marc (population 220,000) and region of the lower Artibonite (population 600,000) were among the areas slated for upgrading of the public water supply. This project was delayed more than a decade and has not yet been completed.
Ideological dogmatism and United States policy toward Haiti 10-21-10 Alex Dupuy explains the neo-liberal trade policies pushed on Haiti. He does one of the best jobs, maybe the best, at explaining it and the effect on Haiti's economy. He asks what I have been asking which is how can Clinton be sorry and at the same time pushing the same policies. He really explains the process well.
If this is true really bad.
Name Ansel Herz
Location Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
Web http://mediahacke...
Bio Human being, journalist
http://twitter.com/...
mediahacker
I'm told six suspected cases here in Port-au-Prince and a second suspected cholera death - a child - in Lafito just 25 km away. #Haiti
http://www.mediahacker.org/...
UPDATE: 5 this is catastrophic
melindayiti
Name melindayiti
Location Haiti and DC
Web http://lethaitili...
Bio straddling Haiti and the U.S.
Speechless and afraid
3 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®
Reply Retweet
Death from #cholera confirmed in Lafiteau/Lafito #Haiti only a short distance from Cite Soleil &PAP http://yfrog.com/...
3 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®
Just witnessed a death from #cholera in Lafito/Lafiteau #Haiti only a few minutes from camps Kanaran and Corail, not far from Cite Soleil
1 minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®
mediahacker
Name Ansel Herz
Location Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
Web http://mediahacke...
Bio Human being, journalist
Just been told of another death in Lafito, not far from the huge Canaraan camp - man who came from St. Marc. #haiti
6 minutes ago via Echofon
I'm told six suspected cases here in Port-au-Prince and a second suspected cholera death - a child - in Lafito just 25 km away. #Haiti
26 minutes ago via Echofon
Reply Retweet
Must-read. RT: @PIH: Read an update on cholera outbreak in #Haiti and @pih response http://bit.ly/...
about 2 hours ago via Echofon
Retweeted by you and 2 others
KatzOnEarth
Verified Account
Name Jonathan M. Katz
Location Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Web http://bit.ly/...
Bio AP's man in Haiti since 2007. Tweeting since May
@JacobKushner for AP: 4 more deaths last night from epidemic cholera in Haiti bringing total to 142: http://tinyurl.com/...
about 6 hours ago via web in reply to JacobKushner
For updates check on twitter go to @storyfulpro/haiti.
This is my twitter Haiti News list. Some on it are more reliable than others.
UPDATE: 4 PIH MUST READ
US withheld humanitarian AID that was going to be used to upgrade water system!
While Haiti has not had a documented case of cholera since the 1960s, the conditions in the lower Artibonite placed the region at high-risk for epidemics of cholera and other water-borne diseases even before the earthquake of January 12, 2010. In 2008, Partners In Health working with partners at the Robert Kennedy Center for Human Rights released a report of the denial of water security as a basic right in Haiti. In 2000, a set of loans from the Inter American Development Bank to the government of Haiti for water, sanitation and health were blocked for political reasons. The city of St. Marc (population 220,000) and region of the lower Artibonite (population 600,000) were among the areas slated for upgrading of the public water supply. This project was delayed more than a decade and has not yet been completed. We believe secure and free access to clean water is a basic human right that should be delivered through the public sector and that the international community’s failure to assist the government of Haiti in developing a safe water supply has been violation of this basic right. Additionally, the capital of the Artibonite region is Gonaives; because of the environmental devastation, residents of this town suffered devastating flooding and loss of life after tropical storm Jeanne in 2004 and after the series of hurricanes in 2008. The destruction contaminated the water supply and destroyed much of the infrastructure (including the health infrastructure) of the upper Artibonite, forcing people to seek residence and medical care in St. Marc. The St. Marc region itself experienced significant flooding in 2008, displacing thousands of people. Lastly, the earthquake of January 12, 2010 resulted in the displacement of 1.7 million Haitians. While reliable statistics are not available currently, the last estimate, as of March of 2010 was that 300,000 addition Haitians had fled Port au Prince to the Artibonite. As there are no “camps” in the region, these displaced persons are “home hosted”—joining poor relatives in already overcrowded conditions, without water security or adequate sanitation in areas without centralized services.
Parryander mentioned to sovelaviorg. I know the person that tweets-just from tweeting. They said people were going to help but I don't know much about them other than I like the twitter person, they have provided info about what is going and parry mentioned. That is why I put link. I
PIH is also there and we know they do amazing work.
UPDATE: 3 reports from twitter-not confirmed but has been accurate cases in La Gonave and
Radio Métropole just revealed that the cholera epidemic has reached the island of La Gonâve
43 minutes ago via web
MetropolisHaiti
Haiti cholera: 15 news cases confirmed on the island of la Gonâve
34 minutes ago via web
iceaxe5
Suspected Cholera Fatality in Lafiteau, in Proximity to Port-au-Prince (UPDATED) http://bit.ly/...
For updates check on twitter go to @storyfulpro/haiti.
I donate to IJDH. They do awesome work.
UPDATE: 2 Haiti cholera hospital is a horror scene PIH is treating people and a team went and put chlorinated water filters in the hardest hit areas.
We arrived at St Marc hospital to a horror scene. I had to fight my way through the gate as a huge crowd of worried relatives stood outside, while others screamed for access as they carried dying relatives into the compound. The courtyard was lined with patients hooked up to intravenous (IV) drips. It had just rained and there were people lying on the ground on soggy sheets, half-soaked with feces.
Some children were screaming and writhing in agony, others were motionless with their eyes rolled back into their heads as doctors and nursing staff searched desperately for a vein to give them an IV. The hospital was overwhelmed, apparently caught out suddenly by one of the fastest killers there is.
Haiti struggles to contain cholera 10-22-10
UPDATE: Haiti says 138 dead in suspected cholera outbreak 1526 cases.
Cholera epidemic in quake-hit Haiti, 135 dead 1500 infected.
In Saint Marc's Saint Nicolas hospital, confusion and fear gripped patients and their relatives Thursday as many of the sick brought to the small facility were left on the floor because all the beds were taken.
Edner Philemon, 22, told AFP at the Saint Nicolas hospital he was feeling very weak due to losing so much weight in two days, saying he was also "mourning the loss of three family members from diarrhea in a matter of hours."
"We're facing an outbreak of diarrhea... which causes rapid death of patients of all ages. This has to do with the quality of water in the affected communities," said doctor Jean-Robert Pierre-Louis.
Cholera Outbreak in Haiti–This is Bad
The outbreak seems to be centered in Artibonite, an area that was relatively unscathed by the earthquake but which experienced a massive influx of people displaced from Port au Prince. A situation report from USAID last month reported that “Of the nearly 143,000 people who moved to Artibonite Department from the Port-au-Prince area following the earthquake, more than 121,000—or approximately 85 percent—remain.” Most of these displaced people live with host families and USAID warned that “IDPs and host families are also facing scarce livelihoods opportunities and experiencing difficulties accessing safe drinking water and hygiene items.” [Emphasis mine]
This is what happens when people experience “difficulties accessing safe drinking water.” It is not just dangerous in the abstract. It is deadly. So far, at least 400 people have been hospitalized. Presumably, this will get worse before it gets better.
undispatch
USAID warned one month ago that families in areas affected by #cholera #outbreak #haiti lacked access to safe water http://ow.ly/...
about 5 hours ago via HootSuite
Cholera epidemic in quake-hit Haiti, 135 dead 1500 infected.
In Saint Marc's Saint Nicolas hospital, confusion and fear gripped patients and their relatives Thursday as many of the sick brought to the small facility were left on the floor because all the beds were taken.
Edner Philemon, 22, told AFP at the Saint Nicolas hospital he was feeling very weak due to losing so much weight in two days, saying he was also "mourning the loss of three family members from diarrhea in a matter of hours."
"We're facing an outbreak of diarrhea... which causes rapid death of patients of all ages. This has to do with the quality of water in the affected communities," said doctor Jean-Robert Pierre-Louis.
Many survivors had fled the city to live with relatives in other towns across the impoverished Caribbean nation of about nine million people, the poorest country in the Americas.
Aid agencies have voiced fears for months that any outbreak of disease could spread rapidly due to the unsanitary conditions in the camps where people have little access to clean water.
Short duration makes getting treatment difficult
It causes serious diarrhea and vomiting, leading to dehydration. It is easily treatable by rehydration and antibiotics. But with a short incubation period, it can be fatal if not treated in time.
The World Health Organization says on its website that "cholera is an extremely virulent disease. It affects both children and adults and can kill within hours."
"The short incubation period of two hours to five days, enhances the potentially explosive pattern of outbreaks," it added.
Cholera outbreak behind Haiti deaths: health official
(AFP) – 1 hour ago
PORT-AU-PRINCE — An outbreak of cholera was to blame for dozens of deaths in Haiti in recent days, a health official said Thursday.
"The first results from the lab tests show that there is cholera, but we don't know which type," an official from the public health ministry told AFP, asking to remain anonymous.
"The government and the health authorities are meeting at the moment and an announcement will be made," he added.
Health officials said earlier that at least 50 people had died from acute diarrhea and hundreds were being treated in local hospitals as laboratory tests were carried out to determine the cause of the illness.
I posted a diary yesterday that I have been updating today. Diary also has information about USAID giving itself an A while Haitians die. According to USAID's fact sheet humanitarian efforts met the immediate needs of earthquake #Haiti populations by providing safe drinking water-- 19 dead water suspect
USAID Fact sheet (PDF)
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Global Exchange
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The Aristide Foundation for Democracy (AFD) was created in 1996 by former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide (the first democratically elected president of Haiti) with a simple principle in mind: "The promise of democracy can only be fulfilled if all sectors of Haitian society are able to actively participate in the democratic life of the nation." |
Haiti Emergency Relief Foundation (HERF):
Haiti’s grassroots movement – including labor unions, women’s groups, educators and human rights activists, support committees for political prisoners, and agricultural cooperatives – are funneling needed aid to those most hit by the earthquake. They are doing what they can – with the most limited of funds – to make a difference. Please take this chance to lend them your support. All donations to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund will be forwarded to our partners on the ground to help them rebuild what has been destroyed.
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Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti:
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We strive to work with the people of Haiti in their non-violent struggle for the consolidation of constitutional democracy, jus tice and human rights, by distributing objective and accurate information on human rights conditions in Haiti, pursuing legal cases, and cooperating with human rights and solidarity groups in Haiti and abroad.
IJDH draws on its founders’ internationally-acclaimed success accompanying Haiti’s poor majority in the fields of law, medicine and social justice activism. We seek the restoration of the rule of law and democracy in the short term, and work for the long-term sustainable change necessary to avert Haiti’s next crisis.
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