Health officials may know what caused the recent outbreak of cholera in Haiti, according to a report from National Public Radio on Monday.
Researchers suspect that the disease may have come from a United Nations base that recently received a number of Nepalese peacemakers. This base is located near a tributary to the Artibonite River, which flows down to the area of Haitian countryside that the cholera outbreak was first discovered. Additionally, recent lab tests have revealed that the strain of cholera affecting Haiti is common in South Asia, where Nepal is located.
A minimum of 337 people have died and 4700 have been hospitalized since the outbreak first came to light.
On October 25th, health officials were optimistic that an outbreak could be contained, but seemed certain that the disease would eventually reach the dilapidated capitol of Port-au-Prince. “I have no doubt that it will arrive in Port-au-Prince, because people are moving a lot. It will arrive during the next week, probably,” said Dr. Ariel Henry, chief of staff of the Haitian Ministry of Health.
The best way for officials and aid workers to battle such an outbreak would require clean water to treat dehydration (the most lethal symptom of the disease), adequate treatment and isolation facilities, and good personal hygiene among the Haitians at risk. Even though containment is achievable, the Pan American Health Organization and WHO are readying themselves for cholera to break out nationwide in Haiti, according to NPR reporter Richard Knox.
However, as aid workers scramble to prepare for the disease in the capitol, other necessities have fallen by the wayside. Namely, it has prevented preparation for the looming Tropical Storm Thomas, which will have become a hurricane by the time it reaches land in Haiti.
By Katie Pluymert
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