HEALTH CLUSTER BULLETIN

CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN – TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010 – #2

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The has established an emergency response center at the National Palace to better coordinate a national response to the cholera outbreak. The center has representation from key ministries, including Communications, Health, and Finance, Haiti’s water and sanitation authority DINEPA (Direction Nationale d'Eau Potable et Assainissement), and representatives of UN agencies and bilateral organizations. The goal is to streamline activities and information for a multi-sectoral response. Cholera continues to affect 7 Departments in Haiti and their communes. Partners in Health/Zanmi Lasante reports increasing numbers of patients with cholera in the , Central and Departments, including a total of 7,159 hospitalized patients in their facilities in Artibonite/Central Plateau. For metropolitan Port-au-Prince, the following communes have been reporting increases in cases: Carrefour, Cite Soleil, Delmas, , Petion Ville, and . The rise in the number of cases in Cite Soleil is particularly concerning, due to its crowded living conditions, poor sanitation, and lack of access to potable water. Médecins du Monde (MDM)-Canada is operating three mobile clinics which serve a population of 45,000 people in 14 camps in Cite Soleil as well as 55,000 people who live in areas surrounding the camps. A significant rise in cases in the North-West and North Departments has been reported over the last three days, with implementing partners working to find suitable space for patients and supplies for treatment. The situation was aggravated with protests on November 15 and 16, which restricted distribution of critical health supplies and prevented the roll-out of health promotion campaigns. Trainings of health care workers have also been postponed due to the civil unrest.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) coordinates the Health Cluster. Contact Information: Dr. Dana van Alphen +(509) 3612-5351, Mr. Sam Vigersky +(509) 3106- 6764, Saran Koly +(509) 3933-6875.

Health Cluster partners are asked to contribute to this bulletin with information on needs and activities as well as corrections to content, by emailing [email protected] (subject heading: Health Cluster Bulletin). For useful information on meetings, guidelines, and health facility locations, visit: http://haiti.humanitarianresponse.info.

HAITI HEALTH CLUSTER BULLETIN #2 – PAGE 2

In metropolitan Port-au-Prince, nine cholera treatment centers (CTC) are operational, with an estimated bed capacity of 600-1,000. Nationwide, 30 CTCs as are operational with estimated bed capacity of 1,600-2,000. These CTCs are operated by the larger health NGOs. The establishment of new CTCs and increasing beds in existing CTCs are high priorities. Training was conducted on management of dead bodies at the DSO (Département Sanitaire de l’Ouest) in Port-au-Prince on November 14. Twenty recruited participants were trained on de- contamination and transportation of corpses from medical facilities and from communities. Participating organizations will be provided with appropriate vehicles, personal protective equipment and supplies to manage dead bodies, under the supervision of the director of the Departement Sanitaire.

Epidemiology

On November 16, the MSPP (Ministère de la Sante Publique et de la Population) reported that the cumulative number of hospital admissions and deaths due to cholera as of 14 November were 16,799 and 1,034, respectively. These numbers reflect data sent by the departments to the Directorate of Epidemiology and now include cases reported by NGOs. This data indicates that the cholera outbreak i