HIGHLIGHTS
After the heavy rains of October and November, a resurgence of the epidemic was noted particularly in the departments of Artibonite, North, Northwest, the metropolitan area of Port-auPrince and South-East;
Some people returned from the Dominican Republic are affected by a wave of acute diarrhea and cases of cholera;
Almost 61,000 displaced from the earthquake still live in extremely difficult conditions.
Access to drinking water infrastructure, sanitation and hygiene are their main concern;About 3 million Haitians have difficulty in meeting their basic food needs.
KEY FIGURES
Number of IDPs in camps Source: DTM, June 2015 60,801
Cumulative cholera cases (1st Jan. to 28 Nov. 2015) Source: MSPP 31,396
Fatality cases (1st Jan. to 28 Nov. 2015) Source: MSPP 297
Cholera Epidemic: the emergency response level must be maintained and strengthened
The trend is on the rise in the last two months
Despite numerous efforts by the Haitian government and its international partners, the health authorities reported an increase in the number of cholera cases for the month of November. Indeed, from November 22 to 28 (48th week), 1093 new cases and 13 institutional deaths were reported against only 268 new cases and 1 death in the 38th week (from Sept. 13 to 19). The Artibonite, North, North West, South East and the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince are the most affected, recording 227, 164, 152, 101 and 149 new cases, respectively.
This situation is due to many factors, including heavy rains in October and November that allowed disease transmission and recurrent difficulties of access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in the vulnerable communities. This affects particularly the IDP camps from the earthquake, the remote municipalities and temporary sites of returnees from the Dominican Republic.
In support to national health authorities, international organizations have strengthened response activities, including improving the capacity of cholera treatment units, distributing WASH (Water and sanitation) materials and decontaminating affected houses.
Furthermore, the mobile teams (EMIRAs) of the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) continue to ensure the community response in the most affected areas.
It is necessary to reinforce the mobilization to continue the fight against the epidemic
Since 2011, health officials have noted a gradual decrease in the cholera epidemic from 351,839 new cases to 29,078 in 2014. However, despite the satisfactory results at the beginning of the year, 2015 is about to end with an increase in the number of new cases compared to 2014. Indeed, the MSPP reports that 31,396 cases were registered until 28 November against 29,078 for the whole year of 2014. This reinforces the concerns of health authorities and international partners.
Therefore, the response to the cholera epidemic continues to be a humanitarian priority. The country must continue to mobilize the necessary resources for the continued implementation plan for the elimination of the disease. The humanitarian actors involved in the response to cholera estimate that 19, 8 million dollars will be required in 2016 to support the efforts of the Haitian government and its partners to reduce cholera-related death rate and control the annual incidence by preventing the transmission of the epidemic.