CARE Canada

Published purpose

17 March 2011 - As of 1 March 2011, the cholera epidemic in Haiti has killed 4,672 people with 252,640 cases, of which 136,275 had to be hospitalized (according to official Ministry of Public Health and Population figures). There are also many cases and deaths in the community that go unreported as these individuals are unable to access medical services on time. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) estimates that Haiti will have approximately 400,000 cases of cholera over the course of the first year of the epidemic. The Lancet medical journal recently published a study finding that the number of cases of cholera could reach 800,000. With CIDA’s support, CARE Canada provides water, sanitation and hygiene support in health centres and cholera treatment facilities in the Department of Grande Anse. CARE Canada manages the operation from its local office in Jérémie and provides support to five health facilities, through the supplying of water via water-trucking, repairs to existing water systems, water treatment, construction/rehabilitation of latrines, and construction of hand-washing facilities. This initiative is being conducted in close collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and Population and DINEPA (the national water department), and in coordination with other humanitarian actors in Grande Anse via meetings, direct information sharing, and participation in the cluster system at the national level.