Cholera outbreak hits Haiti after Hurricane Matthew onslaught
Cholera has killed at least 13 people in Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. The government is on the run to reach the worst-hit southwestern tip of the country to repair treatment centers and prevent the cholera outbreak.
Reuters reported that the storm took lives of nearly 900 people in Haiti, many in remote towns clustered near the headland.
Seven people died of cholera in Anse-d'Ainault and six others died in a hospital at Randel town. Government officials said flood waters mixed into the area's sewage system, the only source of potable water in the region.
"Randel is isolated, cars cannot go and people have started dying. There are nurses but no doctors," said a member of the team that fights cholera for the health ministry.
He also felt concerned that cholera would spread due to lack of hygiene and purified drinking water.
According to Dr. Donald Francois, head of the Haitian health ministry's, 62 others were hospitalized from Port-a-Piment and Les Anglia's with cholera symptoms.
Cholera spread through polluted water and has a short gestation period, which leads to rapid outbreaks. It causes severe diarrhea and can kill a person within hours if untreated.
Haiti was also affected by cholera after the 2010 massive earthquake.
The aid group "Doctors Without Borders" reached Haiti through helicopter to respond to cholera cases.
The Central Emergency Responses Fund released a loan of $8 million to the United Nations Children's Fund to hasten the response against the worsening cholera epidemic.
Around 27,000 cholera cases have been reported in Haiti in 2016 with 240 fatalities.
"Matthew is feared to significantly worsen the situation and increase the risk of larger outbreak," the Central Emergency Responses Fund said in a statement.
The flood water has retreated and cholera clinic and emergency ward were in operation. The government is trying to restore electrical power so doctors and nurses could come to work at night.
"We don't know when the next spike is going to be but we need to be prepared for it. The best thing to do would be to eradicate the disease before the next spike occurs" says a journalist of Associated Press.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of latinpost.com