Outbreak Notice
Cholera in Haiti
Cholera in Haiti
This information is current as of today, October 28, 2010 at 12:11 EDT
Updated: October 23, 2010
Travel Health Warning: Major Earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Guidance for U.S. Residents in Haiti
Guidance for Relief Workers and Others Traveling to Haiti for Earthquake Response
An epidemic cholera strain has been confirmed in Haiti, causing the first cholera outbreak in Haiti in many years. Cholera is a potentially fatal bacterial infection that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration.
The disease is most often spread through the ingestion of contaminated food or drinking water. Water may be contaminated by the feces of an infected person or by untreated sewage. Food is often contaminated by water containing cholera bacteria or because it was handled by a person ill with cholera.
The majority of cases have been reported in the Artibonite Departmente, approximately 50 miles north of Port-au-Prince. Affected hospitals are being strained by the large number of people who are ill.
This outbreak is of particular concern given the current conditions in Haiti, including poor water and sanitation, a strained public health infrastructure, and large numbers of people displaced by the January earthquake and more recent flooding.
