Haitian cholera epidemic likely to grow

Past trends indicate that Haiti’s cholera epidemic is likely to grow much larger than the current 9,123 documented cases of hospitalization, Jon K. Andrus, MD, deputy director of the Pan American Health Organization, said in a press release.

“The case numbers are not as important as the underlying trends, and our top priority is treating the sick and preventing new cases,” Andrus said.

The last cholera outbreak in the Western Hemisphere occurred in Peru in 1991 and spread to 16 countries, causing 650,000 cases of cholera in Peru alone during a 6-year period. Adjusting for population size, a similar trend would cause 270,000 cases in Haiti, Andrus said.

Cases have already been reported in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, where limited drinking water and crowded living conditions put its 3 million residents at risk for “rapid spread of cholera,” he said.

“We have to think about and plan for the long term,” Andrus said. “The bacteria have a foothold in the rivers and the water system, so it will be there for a number of years.”

The Pan American Health Organization is working with other U.N. agencies, nongovernmental organizations and the Haitian Ministry of Health to deliver medical supplies and prevention messages to Haiti’s population, including those in remote areas. Nongovernmental organizations such as Doctors without Borders and Partners in Health have already set up special cholera treatment centers in affected areas, including the capital.

“The system is going to be stretched,” Andrus said in the release. Curbing the epidemic will depend on “how flexible and innovative people are to manage the situation” in hospitals and health facilities.

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