Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Port-au-Prince (Agenzia Fides) – A news bulletin of a local radio station, which sent a copy of it to Fides, says Haitian health officials have reported at least 80 victims in the diarrhea epidemic in the northeast, claiming that it is "most likely" cholera.
A crisis committee has been established, composed of all the health authorities in Haiti, to discuss the situation and take appropriate action, especially in Artibonite, located in the northern part of the country.
The Director General of the Ministry of Health told a news agency that the number of people hospitalized in the affected areas has reached 600, and has stated that the first case was identified last Tuesday. The victims died of the disease within two to four hours after presenting the first symptoms and without being able to reach a hospital. He explained that the labs are doing tests to determine the cause of the disease and that the results of these tests may be ready today, October 22.
Local health authorities have asked the population to take all necessary precautionary hygienic measures. "Most of the victims have been reported near the Artibonite River, which runs through the north-central part of the country. This is an epidemic due to water used in the homes of those regions," said the Director of the Ministry of Health. "Some people have died in their homes in the Artibonite region and central areas of Haiti, while another hundred have been hospitalized and placed under medical supervision," other health sources say. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 22/10/2010)
