PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti – Health officials on Sunday confirmed the death of at least seven people in what has been described as the surprise return of cholera – the water borne disease.
According to General Director of Haiti’s Ministry of Health, Laure Adrien, officials are still struggling to get information from hospitals.
“There was one death during the day today (Sunday),” said Adrien.
The Health Ministry earlier confirmed one case in the Port-au-Prince area as well as reports of suspect cases in the town of Cite Soleil outside the capital.
Cholera, that is typically spread by water contaminated with the feces of a sick person, causes uncontrollable diarrhea.
In 2010 – the disease killed some 10 000 people in an outbreak was blamed on a United Nations peacekeeping force.
The UN peacekeeping force came from Nepal, where cholera is endemic – the peacekeeping force was established in 2004 after the overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and increased in size after the 2010 earthquake.
The United Nations in 2016 apologised for the outbreak, without taking responsibility.
This latest outbreak follows a report made by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), which said that Haiti had gone a year with no confirmed cholera cases. (CMC)
