After more than 3 years without any reported cholera cases, Haiti is facing a rapid and dramatic return of the disease. This comes at a time when the humanitarian situation is already very acute in terms of food insecurity and protection needs linked to the violence of organised gangs.
Earlier this month, national authorities recognised a cholera outbreak, confirmed by alarming figures on infections last week. In response, the EU is allocating €1 million in emergency funding to provide life-saving health interventions in the country.
Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management, said: “Unfortunately cholera remains a reality for many countries due to its high transmission rate and difficulties in accessing drinking water. This funding will support our humanitarian partners’ health operations in Haiti and enable them to quickly reactivate the response mechanisms and infrastructure put in place during the previous epidemic, step up surveillance and care delivery, strengthen coordination and joint response with the Haitian Ministry of Health.”
This month, the EU has also committed €700,000 in humanitarian aid to support the fight against cholera epidemics in Syria and €100,000 in Ethiopia.
Details
- Publication date
- 21 October 2022
- Author
- Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)
