The return of cholera cases to Haiti’s West Department underscores the urgent need for coordinated, long-term action to restore basic water and sanitation systems, Human Rights Watch said. The outbreak, which coincides with a seasonal surge during the rainy season, is spreading in Port-au-Prince and its metropolitan area, as the capital’s health infrastructure teeters on the brink of collapse and insecurity worsens.

Between January 1st and October 30, Haitian health authorities recorded 2,852 suspected cholera cases, 186 confirmed cases, and 48 deaths. According to government data, more than a third of the suspected cases involve children under the age of nine. After 11 weeks without any new cases reported, public health officials are now observing a resurgence of cholera.

"Cholera is once again threatening thousands of lives in Haiti because the population lacks access to even the most basic services : clean water, sanitation, and medical care,” said Nathalye Cotrino, senior researcher in the Americas division at Human Rights Watch. Haitians need the government and the international community to make a serious effort to combat the outbreak and prevent further avoidable deaths."

"Stagnant water and garbage accumulation throughout the city create ideal conditions for the spread of disease as soon as the rains arrive," said Diana Manilla Arroyo, Chief of Mission for Doctors Without Borders (MSF Netherlands – Haiti).

Lack of access to clean water, poor sanitation facilities, and inadequate hygiene are the main factors contributing to the spread of cholera. According to the UN, in Haiti, only 25% of households have access to adequate handwashing facilities with soap and water, and 70% of the population lacks access to improved sanitation. Heavy rains brought by Hurricane Melissa also risk spreading the bacteria to other non-chlorinated water sources.

IH/ iciHaiti