Haiti’s cholera death toll tops 2,700

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — Health officials say the death toll from the cholera outbreak in Haiti has reached 2,707.

The Haitian health ministry said nearly 130,000 people have been infected with the water-borne disease since the first case was recorded at the end of October.

The ministry estimates that 40 people are dying from the epidemic on a daily basis, despite ongoing international efforts to bring the disease under control.

Health officials said the disease has spread throughout the country, but is worse in the central province of Artibonite, where at least 813 people have died. Forty-four deaths have been reported in the southern province of Nippes.

however, in the south-west district of Grand Anse, Haitian health officials said the situation remains complicated because people associate the outbreak with voodoo spells and do not comply with the measures established for cholera cases.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that up to 400,000 people could be infected with the disease within the next 12 months.

Haitian authorities plan to step up educational campaigns to raise awareness and inform people about health measures, main clinical symptoms and guidelines to follow.

Acting on the Haitian government’s request, the United Nations said it will investigate the source of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which, according to two international studies, is abundant in southern Asia.

Haiti has witnessed violent protests after several reports suggested that cholera was brought to the country by the UN peacekeepers from Nepal. The UN has rejected the reports, insisting that medical tests conducted after the violent riots failed to support the allegation.

in recent days, irate mobs have attacked and killed more than 40 voodoo priests in south-western Haiti, accusing them also of being responsible for the scourge.