UK to boost fight against cholera in Haiti
The UK is to help supply more than a thousand trained medical staff and emergency supplies to Haiti to help fight the worsening cholera epidemic and prevent the infection from spreading across the region.
The UK is to help supply more than a thousand trained medical staff and emergency supplies to Haiti to help fight the worsening cholera epidemic and prevent the infection from spreading across the region, including the British Overseas Territories, International Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, announced today.
The announcement follows the latest warning from the UN that up to 400,000 people could be infected by the disease in the next six months - a significant increase on the number predicted two weeks ago. More than 1,400 people have already died from the disease.
The UK Government will fund 115 doctors, 920 nurses and 740 support staff from the region to set up 12 major cholera treatment centres and 60 subsidiary cholera treatment units. These will be capable of treating several thousands of cholera victims over the next two months through £2 million of funding to the Pan American Health Organisation.
The British Government will also help to fund the provision of emergency supplies. Beyond Port au Prince, Haiti has a chronic lack of decent water and sanitation and medical supplies. To help tackle this desperate lack of capacity, the UK Government will:
- Supply 340,000 people with clean water and latrines in Northern Haiti . These will be delivered by Oxfam through a £1.9 million grant.
- Provide public health and water supplies improvements to 231,000 people across the North East of Haiti through a grant to £1 million grant to Plan International