| Flooding in Haiti, caused by Hurricane Tomas, has heavily affected the cholera-infested region of Artibonite, where the first cases of the water-borne disease were diagnosed.
The Artibonite river has been swollen by the rains brought by the storm and there are fears that the floodwaters could be contaminated with cholera. Cholera has killed 501 people and sickened more than 7,000 others since the first cases were confirmed in Haiti about two weeks ago. “The storm has passed, now we are bandaging the wounds that the storm has left, but the cholera epidemic is continuing, especially since the situation has gotten worse because on one side we have the rivers that will carry the bacteria everywhere, and on the other hand, we have the people who have been displaced that could also carry the bacteria,” Rene Preval, the president, said on Saturday. However, some are skeptical about the impact of the outbreak. Al Jazeera’s Imtiaz Tyab, reporting from the capital, Port-au-Prince, on Sunday, said Haiti’s minister of health had claimed that nongovernmental organizations were exaggerating the spread of the disease. “He [the minister] went on to suggest that he thought it was a way for them to attract more donations to fund cholera projects or projects to fight cholera,” our correspondent said. “Haiti has for a very long time had a very complex relationship with NGOs. In fact, there are more NGOs operating out of Haiti than anywhere else in the world per capita. These NGOs have an astounding amount of money and have also spent a lot of money here. But many Haitians say that they have very little to show for it.” Tomas skirted Haiti on Friday, flooding some coastal towns and forcing thousands from their homes. Camps housing survivors of January’s earthquake in the capital were soaked, but the storm’s impact was not as bad as many had feared it would be. |
| Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies |