Haiti - Health : The decline of cholera in Haiti, threatened by the withdrawal of humanitarian actors
The cholera epidemiological tendency is dropping in Haiti after the outbreaks caused by the October rains. According to the Ministry of health and populations, the daily average was still at 500 in November, versus 671 at the end of october, and 1,100 in June. As the dry season begins (December to March), the number of cases is expected to constantly drop. However, Haiti is currently experiencing a transitional phase, where short term funding is coming to an end, and long term subsidies are not yet available. Needs associated with the epidemic, though still high, could rise if more NGOs shut down programs. ACTED in Haiti continues to set up health stabilization programs, and to provide sustainable drinking water provision solutions, as actions designed to tackle cholera with a longer term approach.
Moreover, a vaccination campaign against cholera targeting 100,000 people in urban and rural areas will be launched in January 2012 by Partners in Health (PIH). However, the vaccine against cholera is an additional element in the prevention and fight against cholera, but not a substitute for prevention measures already in place, including good hygiene practices such as washing hands with soap, and improved access to safe water and sanitation, said the Health Cluster.
