Port-au-Prince, Haiti, November 15, 2022: The Government of Haiti, the United Nations and partners today launched an appeal for $145.6 million to support the country's emergency response to a cholera outbreak and provide assistance for save the lives of 1.4 million people living in the most affected areas.
After more than three years without any registered cholera case in Haiti, on October 2, 2022, national authorities reported two new confirmed cases of "vibrio cholerae" in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.
As of November 14, the Ministry of Public Health and Population reported 8,708 suspected cases, 802 confirmed cases, and 161 deaths across the country.
(Source: https://www.nytimes.com/es/2017/06/30/espanol/america-latina/onu-haiti-colera-reparacion.html)
"Cholera is a preventable and treatable disease, and based on their experience and knowledge, the national institutions quickly developed a response strategy with the strong support of the entire local and international humanitarian community," said the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator of the UN, Ulrika Richardson, adding that "however, the increase in cases in recent weeks and the rapid spread of cholera in the country are worrying." According to PAHO/WHO, 500,000 people are at risk of contracting the disease.
The cholera crisis has hit the already vulnerable populations the hardest.
The latest analysis of food security in Haiti shows that 4.7 million people, almost half the population, experience high levels of food insecurity, with 19,200 people in disaster situations, the first time this has happened in recent history.
Haitians also face an increase in violence due to the activities of armed gangs.
These gangs use sexual violence as a weapon to terrorize the population and gain control of the territory.
Nearly 100,000 people have been displaced since June 2021 after fleeing violence.
The main roads connecting the capital with the rest of the country are under the control or influence of gangs, which has limited or even deprived the population of access to basic services for many months.
In this difficult context, humanitarian actors rely on expensive alternative means of transport to continue providing assistance throughout the country, including the fight against the cholera epidemic.
The UN and its partners call for funding to support national authorities in their efforts to contain the spread of cholera through the provision of clean water, hygiene and sanitation, and health activities, while addressing urgent needs for food security, nutrition and protection in the most affected areas.
The entire humanitarian community is at the side of national institutions to overcome the challenges of the complex crisis in Haiti.
Find out how to support the Flash Appeal: Haiti 2022 Cholera Flash Appeal (November 2022) | ReliefWeb