December 30, 2010 Cholera Update

 Since the first case of cholera was reported on October 21, 2010, more than 130,000 people have been hospitalized for emergency care and 2,700 people have died in the epidemic. Cholera has spread to all 10 departments, including the capital city of Port au Prince where 1.3 million homeless people have been living in tent cities since the earthquake. The central departments surrounding the Artibonite River remain the most severely affected. In the coming year cholera is predicted to sicken more than 600,000 people.

GHESKIO is the only Haitian institution running a cholera treatment center (CTC) right now in Port au Prince. The others are Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) and the Red Cross. We have documented cases in the slums near GHESKIO. Currently there are no cases in our refugee camp across the street.

Our Interventions:

1. Our two cholera treatment centers are functional and running. The GHESKIO staff have been trained at the CTC to learn about treatment and case management, so they are available when urgently needed.

2. We have developed a plan to prevent, control, and treat cholera in the slum of Cité de Dieu (City of God) that can serve as a model for other slums. There are three components:

            a) Provide clean water: we are providing chlorine to 61 sites selling water and we are also  providing about 3,000 gallons of clean water per day at GHESKIO.

            b) Sensitization and education campaigns in the slums with 40 trained community health workers: including sessions on oral rehydration therapy with sealed packages and home-made solutions

            c) Put in place oral rehydration therapy (ORT) units in the slum.

            d) Sanitation

3. Training:

            a) Our staff have been trained in cholera management

            b) We have developed training modules for other physicians and nurses, support personnel and community health workers