After more than 3 years with no cases, on 1 October 2022 Haiti national authorities reported two confirmed cases of cholera in the greater Port-au-Prince area. On October 20, the Dominican Republic Vice-Ministry of Collective Health and the General Directorate of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health (MoH) confirmed the first imported case of cholera.
More information can be found in the PAHO Epidemiological Alerts and Situation Reports.
Haiti is currently facing a multi-layer crisis, which include complex socio-political factors and fuel blockades that significantly affect the operation of health services and the provision of humanitarian assistance. Gang control and escalating violence hinder access to communities and complicate the timely assessment of the epidemiological situation.
Under these circumstances, hospitals struggle to remain open as staff find it difficult to commute to work and shortages disrupt the running of facilities. Fuel scarcity also hold up the shipment of biological samples from healthcare centers to reference laboratories. Security issues, moreover, leave populations in affected areas with very limited access to safe water and health care. These factors could influence the dynamics of the cholera situation in the country and the severity of the disease in patients with acute diarrhea.
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Predicting the size and duration of the outbreak is difficult, but Haiti currently meets all risk factors for cholera transmission, suggesting that several thousands could be affected by the resurgence of cholera in the country. Urgent actions are needed to save lives, reduce cholera morbidity and mortality and limit the spread of the disease nationally and to other countries of the Region.
USD 16,809,700 are required to respond with life-saving interventions in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic over the first 12 months of the response (Oct.2022 – Sept.2023). Generous donations from the international community will allow PAHO to deliver its technical cooperation and logistics assistance to the Haitian Government and health partners to help manage and control cholera outbreaks and protect the most vulnerable population groups at risk of infection.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has activated its Incident Management System (IMS) at regional and country levels and is working closely with Haitian and Dominican public health authorities to support the response in the Hispaniola.
As an initial immediate response, the PAHO country office in Haiti donated 2 tons of medical supplies and materials to the international non-profit Doctors Without Borders (MSF) for case management and disinfection from its emergency stockpile in Port Au Prince. PAHO also donated 4 tents to set up cholera treatment centers that can accommodate 50 patients each. PAHO/WHO continues to support the Ministry of Health (Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population – MSPP) and partners, including the donation of supplies to partners that are running Cholera Treatment Centers (CTCs).
In the Dominican Republic, PAHO/WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health’s Cholera Response Plan, with actions focused on epidemiological surveillance, laboratory capacity, case management and risk communication.
Also, through its Emergency Operation Center, PAHO has also initiated contact with vendors for the procurement of cholera kits and other essential supplies to save lives and prevent the spread of the disease.
For the most up-to-date information visit this website frequently.
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