According to statistics from the Ministry of Health in Port-au-Prince, which AFP could see on Tuesday, 66 confirmed cholera cases and 606 suspected cases had been counted on Monday. Between 13 and 17 October alone, 222 new suspected cases were added.
22 killed by cholera
Cholera is a waterborne bacterial infection that affects the intestinal tract and is characterized by symptoms such as vomiting, dehydration and fatigue. The disease can be fatal if not treated in time.
According to the ministry’s statistics, 22 deaths from cholera have been reported so far. Cholera has now also appeared in some central regions of the country. And in the prison in the capital Port-au-Prince alone, 271 suspected cases, 12 confirmed cases and 14 deaths were counted.
Haiti is not resting
Haiti is currently rocked by a serious humanitarian crisis and a desolate security situation. Criminal gangs occupy the country’s main oil terminal, among other things. On Monday, the UN Security Council discussed sending an international aid mission to alleviate the distress in the Caribbean country.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the situation in Haiti as an “absolute nightmare”. Haitian Foreign Minister Jean Victor Généus said in New York that he was voicing the “cry for help from an entire people”. “The Haitians don’t live, they survive,” said the minister.
Haiti has not calmed down for years. The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 and a massive earthquake the following month that killed 2,200 had exacerbated the country’s problems.
(AFP)