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In a country plagued by tragedy, more than 135 people have died and over 1,500 have been sickened from an outbreak of cholera in Haiti’s Artibonite region, north of Port-au-Prince.
“AmeriCares relief workers in Haiti have mounted emergency response efforts to help fight the cholera outbreak,” said Ella Gudwin, AmeriCares Vice President of Emergency Response. “We are working with local Haitian officials to speed lifesaving medicines and medical supplies to the affected communities.”
As part of AmeriCares emergency preparedness plans in Haiti, oral and IV rehydration solutions, infection control items, antibiotics and other essential medical supplies are already in country. The medical aid is in the process of being delivered to local health officials today.
“People infected with cholera can rapidly lose body fluids and become dangerously dehydrated,” said Dr. Frank Bia, AmeriCares Medical Director and expert in infectious diseases. “Without treatment, people can go into shock from low blood pressure or die. In the most severe cases, patients may die within hours of becoming infected.”
AmeriCares has been working in Haiti since 1984, delivering medicines and supplies to health care providers throughout the country. Those deep roots have enabled our emergency response team to navigate the challenging environment and overcome transportation issues in order to increase access to medicines for the Haitian people in both rural and urban areas.
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