Related News
Cholera upheaval continues in Haiti
Source: Agencies |
November 20, 2010, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
HAITIANS angry over the cholera epidemic ignored calls from health workers to stop violence that is disrupting treatment efforts, and authorities feared more unrest in the capital yesterday.
Violence spread into Port-au-Prince for the first time on Thursday after three days of upheaval in the country's north. Protesters threw rocks at UN peacekeepers, attacked foreigners' cars and blocked roads with burning tires and toppled light poles.
The upheaval over a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 1,100 people comes only a week before national elections planned for next Sunday. UN officials argue that the violence is being encouraged by forces that want to disrupt the ballot, and some demonstrators on Thursday threw rocks at an office of President Rene Preval's Unity party and tore down campaign posters.
But the anger is fueled by suspicions that a contingent of Nepalese soldiers brought cholera with them to Haiti and spread the disease from their rural base into the Artibonite River system, where the initial outbreak was centered last month. It is a suspicion shared by some prominent global health experts.
Cholera had not been recorded before in Haiti despite bad sanitation and poor access to drinking water, problems that cause outbreaks of the disease in other parts of the world. Cholera is endemic to Nepal and there was an upsurge there before the Nepalese troops came to Haiti.
Experts have not pinpointed the origin of Haiti's epidemic, however, and the 12,000-member UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti denies responsibility.
The disease is spread by contaminated fecal matter. Health experts say it can be easily treated with rehydration or prevented outright by ensuring good sanitation and getting people to drink only purified water.
But after years of instability, and despite decades of development, many Haitians have little access to clean water, toilets or health care.
The neighboring Dominican Republic has stepped up health measures to try to keep the epidemic from crossing the border - especially after the nation's first cholera case was detected on Monday in an immigrant brick worker who returned sick after a vacation to his Haitian homeland.
Dominican authorities have increased border patrols and monitoring of frontier crossings. The two nations share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
Violence spread into Port-au-Prince for the first time on Thursday after three days of upheaval in the country's north. Protesters threw rocks at UN peacekeepers, attacked foreigners' cars and blocked roads with burning tires and toppled light poles.
The upheaval over a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 1,100 people comes only a week before national elections planned for next Sunday. UN officials argue that the violence is being encouraged by forces that want to disrupt the ballot, and some demonstrators on Thursday threw rocks at an office of President Rene Preval's Unity party and tore down campaign posters.
But the anger is fueled by suspicions that a contingent of Nepalese soldiers brought cholera with them to Haiti and spread the disease from their rural base into the Artibonite River system, where the initial outbreak was centered last month. It is a suspicion shared by some prominent global health experts.
Cholera had not been recorded before in Haiti despite bad sanitation and poor access to drinking water, problems that cause outbreaks of the disease in other parts of the world. Cholera is endemic to Nepal and there was an upsurge there before the Nepalese troops came to Haiti.
Experts have not pinpointed the origin of Haiti's epidemic, however, and the 12,000-member UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti denies responsibility.
The disease is spread by contaminated fecal matter. Health experts say it can be easily treated with rehydration or prevented outright by ensuring good sanitation and getting people to drink only purified water.
But after years of instability, and despite decades of development, many Haitians have little access to clean water, toilets or health care.
The neighboring Dominican Republic has stepped up health measures to try to keep the epidemic from crossing the border - especially after the nation's first cholera case was detected on Monday in an immigrant brick worker who returned sick after a vacation to his Haitian homeland.
Dominican authorities have increased border patrols and monitoring of frontier crossings. The two nations share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
