724 dead in Haiti's cholera outbreak
- Author John Article
- Published December 21, 2010
- Word count 416
Three brothers recuperated Thursday afternoon in a once-open field now speckled by the bright blue tarps of a cholera rehydration clinic in the Haitian town of Bercy, where an outbreak has sickened hundreds of people.
A cousin brought the young boys to the clinic, set up by Samaritan's Purse, said Roseann Dennery, a spokeswoman for the Christian charity. They plopped down on cots, drained by severe diarrhea and vomiting.
What they did not know yet was that the night before, their father had frantically tried to find a motorcycle so he could bring in their mother for treatment. He could not find one in time.
So while the boys were regaining their strength with the help of an intravenous drip, their father was making funeral arrangements for their mother.
They had survived the earthquake, but this family was ripped apart by a disease that is now feared to be spreading rapidly.
The death toll in Haiti's cholera outbreak climbed Thursday to 724 people, said Gabriel Timothee, director general of the Haitian Ministry of Health. An additional 11,000 people have been sickened.
Epidemiologists predict the outbreak could last for months and say the entire nation of almost 10 million people is at risk because they have no immunity to cholera.
The United Nations warned that Haiti is facing one of the most severe outbreaks of the disease in the past 100 years. It appealed to international donors for almost $164 million in response money.
Of grave concern now are four confirmed cases that originated in the tent cities of Port-au-Prince, camps that sprang up to shelter those left homeless by the earthquake last January. Health officials fear that infection could spread quickly in congested, unsanitary conditions and in impoverished neighborhoods where clean drinking water is at a premium.
Symptoms of cholera, an acute, diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine, can be mild or even nonexistent. But sometimes they can be severe -- profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting and leg cramps, which can cause rapid loss of body fluids and lead to dehydration and shock.
If left untreated, a person can die within hours.
Aid workers like those of the American Red Cross have been going tent to tent in Haiti's makeshift camps, telling people of the importance of drinking clean water and outlining practices that can help avoid contamination.
Spokeswoman Julie Sell said Red Cross workers also have been handing out bars of soap. "Wash between your fingers," they tell the camp residents. "Don't dry your hand with a dirty towel."
"We find among many people there is very little understanding on how you prevent it," Sell said.
Article source: https://articlebiz.comRate article
Article comments
There are no posted comments.
Related articles
- Delaware's Low-Income Solar Program Under Scrutiny
- The Owl in the Shadows: The Rise and Reign of Khalid Qoode
- Unfiltered Encounters: Foreigners May Find Bangladeshi Women Unapologetically Bold
- Will Landlines Be Extinct By 2050?
- Uncovering the Beginning of Marine Reptiles: A 246-Million-Year-Old Nothosaur Fossil in New Zealand
- EMPOWERING LIVES WITH HOPE & MERCY FOUNDATION
- Deadly shooting in Jacksonville Beach
- The Somkhele Community fight against against coal mining expansion: voices from the frontline
- Fighting for Equality: The Empowering Legacy of Women in MMA
- The 2023 Survey of Public Perceptions of the Disabled - Supplement
- Are Implicit Biases Underlying Negative Impressions of the Disabled?
- Implicit Biases: What They Are and Why They Are Important
- The Alford Lewis case and how “everyone makes mistakes”.
- The father of ChatGPT: the AI revolution shapes the future of mankind
- Alleged Gang of Rapists in Scarborough Under Investigation; B&Q Employee Suspected as Leader
- Effectiveness of Outdoor Home Security Cameras in Preventing Crime
- How Much Is a Postcard Stamp(Official News)
- The DJI Drone Ban
- Elevate Your Safety Skills: Online Forklift Training and Fall Protection Courses at AI Forklift Training
- Embracing Global Citizenship: Working Together for a Better Future
- HOW ECO-FRIENDLY SHIRTS CAN SAVE THE PLANET (AND YOUR STYLE)
- Alcohol Addiction And Abuse
- The Future of Technology
- What are the benefits of using a Freight Forwarder?
- The Windsors
- Top Apple Products In 2022
- Best Smart Tv Under 30000 - Tech To Review
- Couple almost lose their home over botched taxes
- Why airlines climate change, sustainable jet fuel plan is lagging behind in electric cars and vehicles
- Beloved Scooby-Doo Character Gets a Rename