photo: UN / UNICEF, Marco Domino
3:59
Haiti's Cholera Outbreak Puts Pressure on Capital
Haiti's Cholera Outbreak Puts Pressure on Capital
I'm Alex Villarreal with the VOA Special English Health Report , from voaspecialenglish.com | http An outbreak of cholera in Haiti continued to spread sickness and worry. Health officials worried that the capital could suffer a major outbreak of the disease. By the middle of November, most cases in Port-au-Prince were found in people who arrived in the city already sick. But health officials confirmed the first case in a boy who had not left the city for at least a year. And there were other suspected cases in the Haitian capital. Cholera causes diarrhea and vomiting. It robs the body of fluids. People can get cholera if they eat foods or drink liquids containing the bacteria that cause the infection. Cholera is not hard to treat. Basically, patients drink a solution of salt, sugar and water. The problem is that help is not always available quickly. If cholera is not treated, it can kill within hours, especially in people already in weakened conditions. The earthquake in January displaced large numbers of people. It forced them into crowded, dirty conditions in tent camps -- in other words, the perfect environment for cholera.The outbreak in Haiti has already killed several hundred people. The country's last major outbreak of the disease was more than one hundred years ago. Disease-control experts from the United States confirmed the first cases of cholera in Haiti on October twenty-first in the Artibonite area. The outbreak was mostly limited to that area until a
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3:45
Cholera Hits Haiti - Please Help
Cholera Hits Haiti - Please Help
- published: 16 Nov 2010
- views: 2439
- author: YemSom
Cholera Hits Haiti - Please Help Some 200000 at risk of cholera in Haiti, UN says GENEVA (Reuters) -- Up to 200000 Haitians could contract cholera as the outbreak which has already killed 800 is set to spread across the battered Caribbean nation of nearly 10 million, the United Nations said on Friday. That would be double the 100000 cases during a huge cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe between August 2008 and July 2009, which killed 4287 people. The UN forecast of the number of cases in Haiti was based partly on the Zimbabwe toll. In a strategy plan drawn up with Haiti's government and aid agencies, the UN said Haiti needs $163.9 million (101.5 million pounds) in aid over the next year to combat the epidemic, the first cholera outbreak in the country in a century. Cholera could also spread to the neighboring Dominican Republic, it said. "The strategy anticipates a total of up to 200000 people to show symptoms of cholera ranging from cases of mild diarrhea to the most severe dehydration," Elisabeth Byrs of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told a news briefing in Geneva on Friday. "Cases are expected to appear in a burst of epidemics that will happen suddenly in different parts of the country," she said. The death toll from the outbreak rose to 800 on Thursday and at least 11125 patients have been hospitalized since the outbreak began more than three weeks ago. "The death rate isn't increasing but it is still much higher than usual, 6 to 7
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8:11
5000 Haitian Cholera Victims Sue UN After Deadly Epidemic Kills 6000, Sickens 450000
5000 Haitian Cholera Victims Sue UN After Deadly Epidemic Kills 6000, Sickens 450000
www.DemocracyNow.org - A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of more than 5000 Haitians against the United Nations over the cholera outbreak that has further devastated Haiti in the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake. Some 450000 Haitians have been sickened and more than 6000 have died since the cholera outbreak erupted in October 2010, just over a year ago. It is widely believed the cholera was brought to Haiti by a battalion of Nepalese troops with the UN peacekeeping force. In a complaint to the United Nations, the attorneys for the Haitian victims also accuse the organization of reckless failure in containing the outbreak, arguing it is "directly attributable to the negligence, gross negligence, recklessness and deliberate indifference" for the health and lives of Haitians. "Time after time the response has been to deny the allegations. We're hoping that this is the case that's too big to fail. That the evidence against the United Nations is so overwhelming here that the UN will have no choice but to finally take responsibility for its malfeasance," says attorney Brian Concanon of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. "What we're asking for, what our clients are asking for, is the UN and international community to step up and to give Haiti the sanitation infrastructure it needs to stop the epidemic." For the complete interview, read the transcript, download the podcast, and for additional information about Democracy Now! and reports on Haiti post
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9:26
Haitians Barricading Streets With Coffins as Protests Against the UN Continue Over Cholera Outbreak
Haitians Barricading Streets With Coffins as Protests Against the UN Continue Over Cholera Outbreak
- published: 18 Nov 2010
- views: 5337
- author: mediagrrl9
Protests are continuing in Haiti over the cholera outbreak that has now killed more than 1100 people and infected some 17000. On Wednesday, residents in the city of Cap-Haitien clashed with UN troops for the third consecutive day. Crowds have taken to the streets expressing anger at the Haitian government and the United Nations for failing to contain the disease. Democracy Now! goes to Cap-Haitien to speak with independent journalist Ansel Herz. For the complete interview, transcript, podcast, and for continued reporting from Haiti since the earthquake, visit www.DemocracyNow.org. Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today, visit www.DemocracyNow.org/donate
8:22
Exclusive: 5000 Haitian Cholera Victims Sue UN After Deadly Epidemic Kills 6000, Sickens 450000
Exclusive: 5000 Haitian Cholera Victims Sue UN After Deadly Epidemic Kills 6000, Sickens 450000
- published: 08 Nov 2011
- views: 192
- author: ijdh
A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of more than 5000 Haitians against the United Nations over the cholera outbreak that has further devastated Haiti in the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake. Some 450000 Haitians have been sickened and more than 6000 have died since the cholera outbreak erupted in October 2010, just over a year ago. It is widely believed the cholera was brought to Haiti by a battalion of Nepalese troops with the UN peacekeeping force. In a complaint to the United Nations, the attorneys for the Haitian victims also accuse the organization of reckless failure in containing the outbreak, arguing it is "directly attributable to the negligence, gross negligence, recklessness and deliberate indifference" for the health and lives of Haitians. "Time after time the response has been to deny the allegations. We're hoping that this is the case that's too big to fail. That the evidence against the United Nations is so overwhelming here that the UN will have no choice but to finally take responsibility for its malfeasance," says attorney Brian Concannon of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. "What we're asking for, what our clients are asking for, is the UN and international community to step up and to give Haiti the sanitation infrastructure it needs to stop the epidemic." www.ijdh.org
9:54
Haitian Cholera Victims Demonstrate in front of MINUSTAH Base for 2011 Human Rights Day
Haitian Cholera Victims Demonstrate in front of MINUSTAH Base for 2011 Human Rights Day
For more information, please visit: ijdh.org Filmed and edited by Nick Stratton, Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) nick@ijdh.org Haitian Victims of UN Cholera Tell UN: "Universal Means Haitians Too" In honor of Human Rights Day, cholera victims urge respect for Haitians' human rights Port-au-Prince, Haiti, December 7, 2011 -- On Friday, December 9, 2011, victims of the cholera that United Nations (UN) troops introduced to Haiti will demonstrate at the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) base in St. Marc to demand that the UN respond justly to the cholera epidemic. The demonstration coincides with Human Rights Day 2011, the 63rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR enshrines people's basic human rights, including the rights to life, health, and a just remedy for violations of these rights. The UDHR declares that these rights are "universal." Cholera victims remind the UN that "universal" human rights belong to Haitians too. As the UN rallies the world to honor the UDHR via its "Celebrate Human Rights" campaign, it continues to deny thousands of Haitians the very rights the UDHR enshrines. On November 3, 2011, over 5000 cholera victims submitted claims to the UN asking that it take responsibility for causing the cholera outbreak. The claims ask the UN to compensate victims and install the health and clean water programs necessary to control the epidemic. More than one month later, the UN has yet to respond to victims
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