Officials have recorded more than 70 cholera cases in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and fear for a substantial rise in numbers if the epidemic continues. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Deputy Director Jon Kim Andrus said, “As of Monday, the Ministry of Health was reporting more than 9,100 hospitalized cases and some 583 deaths in some 240 communities… These include 73 cases reported in Port-au-Prince. We expect these numbers to continue to rise as more cases are detected.”
Health experts pointed out that while Haiti had been spared the worst by Hurricane Tomas last weekend, the aftermath of the storm over the river banks may be aggravating the cholera situation. Mr. Andrus said, “We have every reason to expect that the widespread flooding has increased the risk of cholera spreading. The effects of this could become apparent through an upsurge of cases over the coming days.” This outbreak resembles the massive Peruvian cholera outbreak in 1991 say PAHO officials. “Extrapolating from Peru's experience, one might expect upwards of 2,700,000 cases if Haiti’s epidemic continues for several years, as did Peru’s,” Andrus said.
Andrus also pointed out that, “Cholera is a complex public health emergency under any circumstances… In Haiti, the hemisphere’s poorest country, the problem is even more complex.” Epidemiologists at the Pan American Health Organization said the cholera in the capital is the same strain as outside the city. It could have entered through an infected person and spread in contaminated food and water. Andrus warned, “We expect transmission to be extensive and we have to be prepared for it, there's no question… We have to prepare for a large upsurge in numbers of cases and be prepared with supplies and human resources and everything that goes into a rapid response.”
According to Emmanuella Schneider, a spokesperson for the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Aid in Haiti, one person has died because of cholera in the Port-Au-Prince neighbourhood of Cite Soleil, with at least 115 suspected cases overall in the city.