Vulnerability

A clinic in Rendel, Haiti, was overflowing with cholera patients in October. The disease has killed nearly 10,000 people in Haiti since it was introduced there in 2010 by a United Nations peacekeeping force. Credit Meridith Kohut for The New York Times

nytimes.com - by Rick Gladstone - March 19, 2017

When the leader of the United Nations apologized to Haitians for the cholera epidemic that has ravaged their country for more than six years — caused by infected peacekeepers sent to protect them — he proclaimed a “moral responsibility” to make things right.

The apology, announced in December along with a $400 million strategy to combat the epidemic and “provide material assistance and support” for victims, amounted to a rare public act of contrition by the United Nations. Under its secretary general at the time, Ban Ki-moon, the organization had resisted any acceptance of blame for the epidemic, one of the worst cholera outbreaks in modern times.

Since then, however, the United Nations’ strategy to fight the epidemic, which it calls the “New Approach,” has failed to gain traction.

crofsblogs.typepad.com - December 4th 2016

Two months after Hurricane Matthew devastated southwestern Haiti, thousands of people are still without adequate shelter, food and potable water, and some remote communities have not received assistance. 

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are witnessing a deterioration of living conditions in the heavily affected areas. In Sud and Grand’Anse departments, MSF set up mobile clinics to evaluate the general health conditions of children.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

by John A. Carroll, MD - www.haitianhearts.org

October 29, 2016

Family from Chantal just told me that a zone called LaCotte has much cholera. Five people in same house died. Unable to give exact date.

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October 29, 2016

Port Salut hospital served by two Cuban docs--very nice. Fidel and his brother also supplied the Ringers Lactate for the hospital . . .

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October 29, 2016

On Thursday spent day on Southern coast--Cayes, Torbeck, Port Salut, Coteaux, Damassin, Port a Pigment, Kalapa, Chardonnieres. We were fording some small creeks/rivers in the truck, but Les Anglais River too deep and wide so we stopped. The trucks were very few here cause road in South so horrible. I would imagine Hiroshima like this. Port Salut CTC had 30 patients according to nurse last week but only 3 when I was there. Port Salut is a MSPP hospital and made of cement and seemed structurally sound even though it was right on beach. 

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October 29, 2016

The biggest problems I see are lack of food and water for almost 4 weeks now. The roofs are getting patched with tarp or corrugated metal ("toll"). Groups of kids run after the vehicle looking for food.

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October 29, 2016