Cholera in Cité Soleil Haiti - Médecins du Monde Canada 2011

17 March 2011 - As of 1 March 2011 the cholera epidemic in Haiti has killed 4 672 people with 252 640 cases of which 136 275 had to be hospitalized (according to official Ministry of Public Health and Population figures). There are also many cases and deaths in the community that go unreported as these individuals are unable to access medical services on time. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) estimates that Haiti will have approximately 400 000 cases of cholera over the course of the first year of the epidemic. The Lancet medical journal recently published a study finding that the number of cases of cholera could reach 800 000. CIDA is supporting Médecins du Monde Canada (MdM) to establish staff and operate 20 first-level oral rehydration centres and a second-level Cholera Treatment Center (CTC) connected to the MdM-run CHAPI hospital in Cité Soleil. This project also supports the operation of two ambulances to ensure fast referral of patients between the different level health facilities. MdM-trained community health workers ensure proper follow-up with cholera patients once discharged from the health facilities. This project also seeks to transfer the capacity to treat cholera – built through this project – to pre-existing health structures in Cité Soleil in order to ensure that they are in a position to respond to future outbreaks of cholera as the disease is expected to become endemic to Haiti.