The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported today that the cholera outbreak detected in Haiti has already caused 36 deaths, 55 confirmed cases, and 655 suspected cases.
According to a statement, the continental organization released its first report on the situation in the Caribbean country, which will be updated weekly.
PAHO recalled, “Haitian authorities reported the first two confirmed cases of Vibrio cholerae O1 in the greater Port-au-Prince area on October 2, 2022.”
Following this notification, additional suspected cases were detected, and as of Thursday, October 13, the Haitian Ministry of Health reported a total of 655 suspected cases, including 55 confirmed cases, 197 hospitalized suspected cases, and 36 reported deaths.
“Of the total number of reported suspected cases with available information, 53 percent are male and 56 percent are 19 years old or younger. The most affected age group is one- to four-year-olds, followed by five- to nine-year-olds,” the report said.
PAHO pointed out that the Port-au-Prince prison is currently experiencing a cholera outbreak, with 271 suspected cases so far, including 12 confirmed cases and 14 deaths.
The continental organization warned that “the current outbreak is taking place against the backdrop of a complex humanitarian and security crisis in Port-au-Prince and neighboring cities, where access to health services and thus epidemiological surveillance could be affected.”
PAHO said it is working with Haitian health authorities to describe and support the response to this event.
The Agency recommended that member states “continue their efforts to strengthen and maintain cholera surveillance to detect suspected cases early, provide appropriate treatment, and prevent the spread of cholera.”
“Early and appropriate treatment keeps the mortality rate among hospitalized patients below 1 percent,” PAHO said.