Specialist Group
Health Related Water Microbiology

Cholera, diarrhea and dysentery update 2012 (18): Haiti, Dominican Republic

 

A ProMED-mail post, http://www.promedmail.org, ProMED-mail is a program of the

International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org

 

In this update:

[1] Cholera - Haiti

[2] Cholera - Dominican Republic (Santiago province)

 

[1] Cholera - Haiti

Date: Tue 22 May 2012

Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/haiti-at-risk-from-cholera

 

Up to 250 000 people are at risk from cholera during Haiti's hurricane season, warns children's charity Plan International. More than 7000 have died since October 2010 after a similar outbreak spread through camps set up after the country's devastating 2010 earthquake.

 

Aid workers for Plan are launching awareness campaigns in schools and distributing hygiene kits in a bid to stem the number of cases. "With the arrival of the rainy season and contamination of water sources, the number of new cholera cases has more than quadrupled," says Plan's country director in Haiti, John Chalonor.

 

"Health experts warn that between 200 000 and 250 000 people could contract the disease in 2012, and the majority will be sick during the rainy and hurricane season from April to November [2012]. To reduce the impact and spread of the cholera outbreak, the government and all actors involved in the response should focus their attention on prevention," says Mr Chalonor.

 

"It's important that a national contingency plan be developed and cholera hotspots in Haiti be mapped."

 

[Since the epidemic began in October 2010, cholera has killed more than 7000 people (out of approximately 500 000 cases recorded, a number that represents approximately 5 percent of the population).

 

A ProMED-mail HealthMap can be found at http://healthmap.org/r/22DW.

 

[2] Cholera - Dominican Republic (Santiago Province)

Date: Tue 22 May 2012

Source: Prensa Latina http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=509286&Itemid=1

 

At least 60 people were hospitalized due to suspected cholera in Tamboril, a town of Santiago de los Caballeros, which required the intervention of the Ministry of Public Health. Deputy Minister of Public Health Jose Rodriguez Aybar revealed that the area was taken over by the health department, which intensified prevention activities and education as well as the delivery of chlorine, since the water there is contaminated.

 

Many of the cases, according to Listin Diario, are people who were affected by the outbreak that started weeks ago. For his part, Director of Environmental Health Luis Emilio Feliz Roa said the main problem is water-handling in homes. For this reason, they are chlorinating water and distributing it in tankers and plastic tanks to the houses and making efforts with the electrical service company to ensure that the water supply will be available permanently.

 

[It is not clear how many of the cases reported in Tamboril are new

since the last posting on 23 Apr 2012.

 

A ProMED-mail HealthMap can be found at http://healthmap.org/r/1Hgf

 

see also:

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (17): Africa, Asia 20120522.1141036

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (16): Haiti, st switch 20120503.1121767

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (15): Haiti 20120502.1120308

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (14): DR 20120425.1112450

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (13): DR, Haiti 20120423.1107228

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (12): Africa, Asia 20120419.1106799

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (11): Africa, Asia 20120405.1091348

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (10): Haiti 20120404.1090431

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (09): Africa, Asia 20120402.1087425

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (08): Africa 20120310.1065940

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (07): Africa 20120307.1063725

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (06): Africa 20120302.1057887

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (05): Africa 20120213.1040722

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (04): Africa, Asia, Americas 20120203.1031859 Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (03): Africa, Asia 20120121.1014512 Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012 (02): Haiti (GA) 20120112.1008336 Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2012: Haiti, DR 20120111.1007086

 

2011

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (38): Africa 20111203.3523

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (35): Haiti 20111011.3044

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (34): Tuvalu 20111005.2998

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (33): Africa 20111004.2987

Cholera, diarrhea dysentery update (32): Haiti, DR 20111003.2979

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (31): Asia 20110922.2875

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (30): Africa 20110921.2867

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (29): HAITI, DR 20110920.2856

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (28): Africa 20110830.2665

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (27): Africa 20110828.2634

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (25): Haiti, DR 20110823.2567

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (24): Americas 20110804.2349

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (23): Haiti, DR 20110726.2253

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (22): Asia, Africa 20110711.2094

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (21): Haiti, DR 20110710.2086

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (20) 20110708.2061

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (19): Asia, Africa 20110704.2027

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (16): Asia, Africa 20110622.1910

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (15): Asia, Africa 20110617.1849

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (09): Africa 20110419.1219

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (05): Africa 20110403.1033

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (04) 20110222.0582

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (03) 20110128.0333

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 (02) 20110118.0215

Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2011 20110109.0101

 

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