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Salud | Por Redacción Espacinsular

UN humanitarian relief fund allocates US$7 million to jumpstart response as at least 12 cholera cases are confirmed.  At least 12 cholera cases have been confirmed in Haiti, after three years with no recorded cases, raising concerns of a wider outbreak.

To help launch an immediate response and stem the spread of cholera, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) today allocated $7 million for UN agencies and their partners to provide urgent life-saving assistance.

“We must stand with the people of Haiti in their hour of need,” said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths. “Cholera is preventable and treatable. Left unchecked, however, an outbreak could lead to cataclysmic levels of despair for the people of Haiti, who are already enduring tremendous suffering. We cannot allow the gains made in past years in the fight against cholera to be jeopardized.”

The ongoing fuel blockade is severely crippling the functioning of and access to health, water and other basic services at a time when Haitian communities need them most. Humanitarian agencies have appealed for the immediate opening of a humanitarian corridor to allow the release of fuel.

As of 6 October, in addition to the confirmed cholera cases, there are 152 suspected cases, 107 hospitalizations and 4 deaths. The outbreak is spreading beyond the capital Port-au-Prince.

The CERF funds released today will be earmarked for the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to urgently scale up health and sanitation efforts in support of the Government’s response, as well as to the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to ensure continued logistical support for life-saving operations.