CHOLERA FACT SHEET #22

HAITI - CHOLERA FACT SHEET #22, FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2011
(ReliefWeb) - Source: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Date: 07 Mar 2011
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS

- Health personnel in communities are increasingly participating in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster meetings, according to the Health Cluster, the coordinating body for health activities. The Health Cluster noted the importance of continuing to strengthen the collaboration and coordination among clusters throughout Haiti. To date, USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) has provided $1 million for humanitarian coordination and information management.

- The WASH Cluster, in collaboration with the Government of Haiti (GoH) National Directorate for Potable Water and Sanitation (DINEPA), is preparing a map which identifies water sources where cholera has been confirmed. The GoH Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) has proposed a meeting between DINEPA, the WASH Cluster, epidemiologists, the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the Health Cluster to discuss the preparation of this risk map before the rainy season begins in April.

- USAID/OFDA continues to monitor cholera developments and discuss contingency planning activities in advance of the rainy season with cholera response organizations. USAID/OFDA grantees have stocked cholera-related WASH supplies—such as sachets of oral rehydration salts (ORS), chlorine, and aquatabs—in local warehouses, in preparation for a potential spike in cholera numbers due to the upcoming rainy season.

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NUMBERS AT A GLANCE SOURCE:

Overall Cholera Caseload - 248,442

Hospitalized Cases - 133,921

Deaths Due to Cholera - 4,627

Overall CFR1 - 1.8 percent (case fatality rate)

Total USAID Humanitarian Assistance to Haiti for: Cholera ........................................................................... $45,192,163

CONTEXT

On October 22, 2010, U.S. Ambassador Kenneth H. Merten issued a disaster declaration due to the cholera outbreak.

On October 26, USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to coordinate USAID/OFDA emergency response efforts with USAID/Haiti, USAID/OTI, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); provide technical assistance to the MSPP; and support relief agencies’ response activities. USAID also stood up a Response Management Team (RMT) in Washington, D.C., to support the USAID/DART in Haiti and coordinate
with the USAID Haiti Task Team (HTT). The USAID/DART transitioned to a Haiti program office on January 27, and the RMT stood down on January 28.

USAID/OFDA’s emergency cholera response plan focused on preventing cholera cases, reducing the number of cases requiring hospitalization, and reducing the CFR. The plan included four elements: provision of chlorine to increase availability of safe drinking water; expansion of national hygiene education outreach; provision of ORS and medical supplies; and an increase in the number of cholera treatment facilities (CTFs), particularly in underserved and rural
areas.

USAID/OFDA recognizes that cholera will likely remain present in Haiti for several years and that the rainy and hurricane seasons may cause additional caseload spikes. USAID/OFDA program office staff remain in Haiti to monitor the evolving humanitarian situation, enhance coordination, monitor ongoing USAID/OFDA-funded response activities, and adjust programming in response to evolving conditions on the ground. USAID/OFDA is working
closely with USAID/Haiti, USAID/OTI, CDC, and the humanitarian community to coordinate efforts and facilitate a smooth transition from emergency relief activities to development programming.

Health

On March 2, USAID/OFDA staff observed a cholera program implemented by grantee American Refugee Committee (ARC) in Terrain Acra camp, one of the largest camps in Port-au-Prince. USAID/OFDA staff visited an oral rehydration point (ORP) located in a tent originally used as a CTF. The ORP occupies one quarter of the original CTF space, and ARC can quickly expand services in the event of renewed high caseloads. ARC continues to provide hand washing stations and chlorinated footbaths for everyone entering and exiting the ORP.

ARC has conducted hygiene promotion activities in all of Terrain Acra’s 40 schools and 18 churches and at local community gathering points such as markets. ARC has also provided hygiene promotion messaging at local venues such as cock fights. ARC returns to each facility multiple times and builds upon previous messaging through demonstrations and songs that reinforce good hygiene practices. Individuals who work as hygiene promoters modify messages for different ages and audiences. ARC initially distributed cholera-related supplies, such as aquatabs and soap, during hygiene promotion activities; however, at present, ARC activities focus exclusively on hygiene messaging.

WASH

On March 2, USAID/OFDA and USAID/Haiti field staff jointly monitored grantee Action Contre la Faim (ACF) WASH activities in Gonaïves, Artibonite Department. With USAID/OFDA funding, ACF provides WASH services—including cholera prevention and hygiene promotion, trainings, water point chlorination, and distribution of water treatment and sanitary kits—in Artibonite and North Departments.

With USAID/OFDA funding, ACF has supported 21 health centers, sensitized approximately 322,000 people through cholera-related commodity distributions and public messaging, and stocked WASH supplies in Port-de-Paix and at a U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warehouse in Gonaïves, in preparation for a potential spike in cholera numbers due to the rainy season.

ACF conducts water treatment trainings for local leaders and CTF staff, as well as weekly training for local nongovernmental organization (NGO) staff. ACF also provides training and supplies to the Department of Civil Protection. To date, ACF has trained approximately 220 local NGOs and conducted 14 water treatment trainings and distributions in Artibonite Department for nearly 18,000 families, or approximately 90,000 individuals. In Northwest Department, ACF has provided 13 water treatment trainings and distributions to reach more than 15,500 families, or approximately 77,500 individuals.

On March 2, USAID/OFDA staff also visited ACF’s chlorine production center, which serves approximately 246 families and uses batteries and solar-generated electricity to convert local water and salt into 20 liters of chlorine per day. Local residents initially pay for the chlorine and 16-ounce containers, and thereafter only pay for the chlorine.

ACF has two additional centers in Gonaïves and has signed contracts to provide five health centers with the chlorineproducing system.

More information can be found at:

USAID: http://www.usaid.gov/

The Center for International Disaster Information: http://www.cidi.org/ or (703) 276-1914

Information on relief activities of the humanitarian community can be found at: http://www.reliefweb.int/

USAID/OFDA bulletins appear on the USAID web site at: http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/