Haiti and Dominican Republic seek $2 billion to eliminate cholera epidemic ‘introduced by UN peacekeepers’

Haiti and the Dominican Republic will require US$2.2 billion over the next 10 years for an ambitious plan to eliminate cholera, an official from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. It is now evident that the epidemic was introduced to Haiti by the UN peacekeepers.

The plan is due to be rolled out in a week or two and it outlines a government-led effort backed by the Pan American Health Organization, UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“This is the greatest public health intervention that could be implemented in Haiti, but it’s a long-term strategy, it’s not a fix tomorrow,” said Dr. Jordan Tappero, director of the Health Systems Reconstruction Office for the CDC’s Center for Global Health. “Our goal is to eliminate transmission of cholera.”

Short-term goals include building water supply systems, sewer systems and waste-water treatment plants, as well as improving access to latrines, especially in schools.

The tattered state of Haiti’s infrastructure has contributed to the flow of cholera since the disease was likely introduced in October 2010 by a unit of peacekeepers from Nepal, where cholera is endemic. The disease is easily preventable through proper hygiene but it has killed more than 7,600 people in Haiti and more than 420 in the neighboring Dominican Republic, health officials say.

The plan warns that the disease could spread to the rest of the hemisphere if left unchecked and produce an “economic catastrophe” because of a heavy impact on agriculture, tourism and private sector investment.

The plan, at this point, is unfunded. Organizers said getting a plan, with costs, was the first step. Haiti now requires donors for support of the plan.

Reports indicate that the World Bank plans to contribute US$5 million, unspent money from a US$15 million grant that went toward the health ministry and government’s water department.

The plan also calls for moving cholera treatment into regular hospitals. Much is now done in tent facilities with rows of cots where patients go to be re-hydrated. The idea is to make better use of hospital workers and curb stigmatization.