Haiti Cholera Outbreak 2010-2011

Haiti Cholera Outbreak 2010-2011

Introduction

The origin of the cholera outbreak that killed some 4 000 500 people in Haiti was due to the introduction of the bacteria through feces of the Nepalese base personnel of the Mission of Stabilization Mission in Haiti that contaminated the Artibonite River. The Cholera dates from the time of humoral medicine. Its etymology is the combination of two words: morbus (Latin), which means disease and chole (Greek), which refers to bile, i.e. bile disease. Throughout history, people throughout the world have sporadically been affected by devastating outbreaks of cholera. There are many indications that the inhabitants of the plains of the Ganges River in ancient times were known as a disease similar to cholera. Modern knowledge about cholera, however, dates only from the early nineteenth century, when the researchers began to delve into the causes of disease and its treatment (Jeffrey, 2010). The introduction of the bacteria had such an impact in the country by poor sanitation and health suffering Haiti, along with environmental and epidemiological conditions. In this regard, it has been noted that the outbreak was caused by the confluence of circumstances and was not at fault or deliberate action of a group or individual.

Discussion

Besides the human suffering it causes the disease, cholera outbreaks caused panic reactions, disrupt the social and economic structure and may hinder the development of affected communities. Undue panic reactions from other countries may lead to restrictions on travel from countries where the outbreak is declared, or restrictions on imports of certain foods. In Haiti, 15 October 2010 one of the sentinel sites for epidemiological surveillance network set up by Cuba, gave the warning served to confirm the start of transmission of this disease in the Central Department and is spread rapidly following the course of the Artibonite River downstream (Erikson, 2010).

Cholera

Cholera is an acute enteric infection caused by ingestion of a bacterium, the bacterium Vibrio cholera in fecal contamination of food or water. The disease that develops in the areas which do not have proper sewerage and sanitation because they lack access to safe water, can be aggravated by the disaster, destroying infrastructure. Cholera has spread in the 19th century, around the world from its original container, in the Ganges delta in India. According to WHO estimates, there are every year 3 to 5 million cases of cholera in the world, with 100 000-120 000 deaths. Africa is the continent most affected. The overall case fatality rate is 2.3%, for 2007, but reached up to 35% among the vulnerable groups living in areas at high risk of cholera indicates the Pasteur Institute (Erikson, 2010). Cholera is not a major scourge as are AIDS, tuberculosis and padulisme. The treatment is indeed simple provided that therapeutic measures are taken in time. The most common form of infection is by drinking water or eating food contaminated by human feces. It is often transmitted from person to person. Outbreaks are usually caused by major water sources contaminated by ...