The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has reported an increase in the number of cholera cases in Haiti since the outbreak was declared in early October, exceeding 2,200 suspected cases.
«Since the notification of the first two confirmed cases of cholera (…) in Port-au-Prince on 2 October, the Haitian Ministry of Health has reported as of 23 October a total of 2,243 suspected cases, including 219 confirmed cases, and 55 reported deaths,» states the PAHO communiqué released on Tuesday.
The organization also reports that of the total number of suspected cases reported, 58 percent are male. Meanwhile, 53 percent are under 20 years of age.
The age group with the highest number of cases is children aged 1 to 4 years, followed by children aged 5 to 9 years.
The majority of cases — 97 percent — are in the Ouest region, where the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is located. The districts of Cité Soleil and Port-au-Prince account for 80 percent of the province’s total cases.
In addition, 271 suspected cases have been reported in the capital’s prison, of which 12 have already been confirmed. There have also been 14 deaths.
The Dominican Republic reported the first imported case of cholera in the country on October 20. The patient is a Haitian woman from Port-au-Prince.
PAHO has urged Member States to continue to maintain cholera surveillance in order to detect suspected cases early and prevent the spread of the virus. With timely and appropriate treatment, the case fatality rate of hospitalized patients is less than 1 percent, the health agency reports.
In this regard, PAHO has urged authorities to ensure adequate basic sanitation conditions, access to safe drinking water and hygiene measures.
Meanwhile, it has ruled out imposing quarantines to limit the movement of people or the embargo of goods because «they are unnecessary and ineffective in controlling the spread of cholera».
