A young woman suffering cholera symptoms is carried by a relative to St. Catherine hospital, run by Doctors without Borders, in Port-au-Prince on Friday. (Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press)
Canada is promising an added $4 million to help fight the cholera outbreak in Haiti, International Co-Operation Minister Bev Oda said Friday.
The money is on top of the $1 million promised last month by the Conservative government.
Oda made the announcement in question period in the House of Commons.
More than 1,100 people have died and more than 18,000 have been hospitalized since cholera was first detected in late October in Haiti, which was devestated by an earthquake in January.
Cholera is spread by contaminated fecal matter.
Health experts say it can be easily treated with rehydration or prevented by ensuring good sanitation and that people drink only purified water.