Inadequate Sanitation leads to Cholera Outbreak in Haiti Relief Camps

At least about 300 people have died in Haiti due to the Cholera outbreak which is a disease that is caused due to drinking contaminated water. The Haitians living in relief camps are also the victims of the Cholera outbreak .These people have yet to recover from the earthquake disaster and they are in serious trouble again with the outbreak. Cholera patients are being treated in hospitals while some are under treatment in camps. The unsanitary conditions and the contaminated water are the result of the Cholera outbreak. This is not the problem faced by people living in relief camps but it has also affected permanent communities too.

The worst is still not over in Haiti even after ten months, nothing could be done to improve the devastation caused by the Haiti earth quake. The flow of patients suffering from Cholera never seems to stop. Its misery and heart burn all the way when you look at the misery filled faces of the Haitians who are looking helpless and have nowhere to go then you sure can read the untold stories that can be seen in their eyes. About 30 to 40 percent children under the age of eighteen are affected with severe diarrhea which is the miserable condition of cholera. There are not even enough hospital beds to treat the patients and many of them are being treated in open air and intravenous drips are attached to trees while the moans and convulsions of the patients really create a depressing feeling.

Cholera is caused by waterborne bacteria which if left untreated can kill patients within a short time. Haiti is a poor country and even before the earthquake access to clean water and sanitary conditions was not possible for many Haitians and after the earth quake the situation has worsened and ruined the infrastructure.
UNICEF along with the UN council are working up so that they can stem the problem of Cholera as soon as they can .Creating awareness among the people is very important as the spread of the disease could be controlled to some extent and health workers are teaching the Haitians the way to wash their hands and maintain hygienic conditions so that they can get rid of contagious disease. This will educate the people to be clean and hygienic and thus help in preventing the infection to spread.

By adopting such positive measures the death rate has slowed down and this sure increases hope that the Haitians will pull through this disaster quickly as possible. The dehydrated condition of the Cholera victims will improve if proper sanitation measures are adopted and people become aware of how to deal with the diseases. Cholera is a disease of poverty ridden areas where sanitary conditions and lack of clean and pure drinking water outbreaks.

Hope is eth motivation factor that keeps the UNICEF and the Government of Haiti working to avert the loss of the Haitians. All defensive counters, measure are being adopted to pull the victims out of the Cholera problem and save their lives giving them a new hope to continue on with their life’s journey.

The author is an associate at IslamTribune.com a US based Online News Magazine, capturing different perspectives of people and their view on News around the world. For more detailed insights on US and the Middle East News visit the website.