Cholera outbreak in Haiti - our response

In response to the recent cholera outbreak, our sister organisation, HelpAge International, is rapidly stepping up our services to older people in camps in Haiti.

Nine months after a massive earthquake struck the poor Caribbean nation of Haiti, the country is still struggling with the after-effects. With many people still living in camps after their homes were destroyed, there has now been an outbreak of cholera.

According to Haitian health authorities, at least 250 people have died and over 3,000 cases of cholera have been confirmed.

What we are doing

In response to the cholera outbreak, through our sister organisation, HelpAge International, we're working together with UN cluster groups to:

• train camp volunteers and nurses in awareness and preventative measures
• coordinate the supply of chlorine tablets for household water purification
• trace contacts and people who know those in the camps through our home-based care and community agents
• monitor to ensure early detection of cholera, especially at camps and at our partners' facilities

Roger Markowski, country director of HelpAge in Haiti said: 'At this stage it is vital that we work with the Government of Haiti and the wider humanitarian community to guarantee a coordinated response to the situation. That way, we will ensure that the most vulnerable sections of the population are not left out of treatment and prevention.'

Prevention and preparation

HelpAge is planning to use its pre-existing radio show 'Koze Granmoun, Pawòl Timoun' ('Older people's chat, children's discussions') on Haiti's Radio Soleil to broadcast prevention messages to communities.

HelpAge are making sure all older people in each of the camps have appropriate hygiene materials. They are also assessing further essential needs for older people, such as provision of drinking water containers and access to safe drinking water.
 
HelpAge have started stock piling oral rehydration solutions and antibiotics for contact cases of cholera and have so far received enough from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to treat 4,000 individuals.

Ndaro Essaba, of HelpAge's Haiti health team says: 'This week we are training our 200 home-based carers and volunteers in the 93 camps we operate in. This is vital for us as it means that if cholera does reach the camps, we can act quickly to treat those older people affected.'