Haiti reports cholera deaths for first time in 3 years

    Haiti reports cholera deaths for first time in 3 years


Port-au-Prince: Haiti's government on Sunday announced that at least eight people have died from cholera, raising concerns about another potentially catastrophic epidemic like the one that broke out a decade ago and killed nearly 10,000 people. The cases - the first cholera deaths reported in three years - came in a community called Dekayet in southern Port-au-Prince and in the gang-controlled seaside slum of Cite de Soleil, where thousands of people live in cramped, unsanitary conditions.

"Cholera is something that can spread very quickly," warned Laure Adrien, director general of Haiti's health ministry.Food or water contaminated with the cholera bacteria can lead to severe diarrhoea and dehydration which can be deadly.
The United Nations said in a statement that it is working with Haiti's government to "mount an emergency response to this potential outbreak," stressing that health teams need to be guaranteed safe access to areas where cases have been reported.


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