Haiti Cholera Treatment and Prevention Program

July saw the largest increase in cholera patients at our cholera treatment centre, with 152 patients seen on just one day.  It’s not been an easy task helping to oversee the largest treatment centre in the North, serving Haiti’s second largest city, but our team on the ground have been doing a great job.  July in Haiti was filled with many meetings with Konbit Sante, UNICEF and others, about the on-going needs of cholera and how best we can support the increase.  The final long-term emergency concrete foundation was completed at the centre, and within a few days was having a 150 bed capacity tent built upon it.  We’d hoped we wouldn’t see these tents again, as they had originally been used in the first peak, but in the last few months had become a distant memory.  The frustration for HHA is that the July peak, the highest in almost 5 months, was in part down to the closure of our oral rehydration posts with Konbit Sante.  Due to our funding finishing we had to close these posts at the end of May, and within weeks we started seeing the result.

Cholera is a disease that Haiti as a nation will have to contend with for many years since it was introduced to the country in October 2010. Our original response was effective, yet as happened in July, there will be an upsurge in cases at times, a spike – which we need to be able to respond to immediately.  We know what to do to reduce the impact of the outbreak – we’ve done it once before. What we need is the funding to do it.  Please keep supporting this project to help us save lives and prevent the spread increasing.

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If you don't often visit the Haiti Hospital Appeal website, here's one reason why you should.  A little news update highlighting the incredible work you've helped support!

'Whilst news around the world has become quiet regarding the cholera situation in Haiti, the threat has remained ever present.  In Port-au-Prince in the last few weeks, a fresh outbreak has developed through a number of communities, filling cholera treatment units and centers and generating an urgent need for more support.

Many had expected cholera to increase in these months, with the rainy season which has already been devastating killing over 23 people through mudslides and flooding.  In addition, in the midst of mango season many individuals pick mango’s from the floor and eat them without giving much thought to giving the fruit a quick wash first.  Yet, whilst the threat remains and cases around the country have increased at points, in the last three months our target area has seen a steady decline.  This has been due to the good patient care provided by MSF and out Oral Rehydration Posts around Cap-Haitien, which have employed over 110 community health agents with USAID and KS.

In the last three months our cholera community outreach has…

Trained 272,991 beneficiaries through practical demonstrations on hand washing and general hygiene.

Trained 35,775 beneficiaries on the preparation of oral re-hydration salts.

Distributed Oral Re-hydration Salts to 21,112 beneficiaries.

Supported a total of 295,198 beneficiaries through our ORP’s.

Distributed cholera supplies (including 130,000 bottles of disinfectant) to 11,399 households, supporting an estimated 56,995 individuals.

Provided cholera education and supplies to 16,288 school students.

Our evaluation estimated that in total we’ve reached 368,481 people in the last three months.

The impact of such prevention has been huge, with thousands of lives being saved.  Prevention stops people getting infected, and also reaches those who have caught cholera before it becomes too late.  

In addition HHA is also in a transitional period of becoming the supervisory group for the only Cholera Treatment Centre in North Haiti.  MSF who have done a fantastic job are now gradually pulling out, and HHA, the Haitian Ministry of Health and KS will be overseeing this work.  It’s a mammoth undertaking, and a responsibility we don’t take lightly. Yet, with supporters like you behind us, we're confident we can continue making a huge difference.

Please continue to support this work, and spread the word to your friends, family and work colleagues.  Every little helps!'

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