Port-au-Prince, November 18 (EFE).- The cholera epidemic in Haiti in the midst of a serious humanitarian crisis has made people forget the existence of covid-19 in the country.
While cholera has already claimed more than 174 lives in the month and a half after its reemergence, authorities are yet to release covid-19 reports for November.
“Covid-19 is still present in Haiti; cases are rarer, but they will increase, as is the case in the United States,” Dr. Jean William Pape, director of Haitian Kaposi’s Sarcoma Study Group Health Centers. Opportunistic infections (Gheskio).
The Haitian health ministry reported late last October that the disease had caused 860 deaths, 33,832 confirmed cases and 5,682 active cases.
In that month, the Gheskio centers had a positivity rate of 2.3%, centered between December 1, 2021 and October 31, 2022.
FORGOTTEN, BUT STILL THERE IS!
“It’s that (health authorities) are most concerned about cholera,” said Pape, one of Haiti’s most internationally recognized doctors.
The department most affected by covid is the western one, with over 21,360 confirmed cases. The Center follows with 1,961 and Artibonite with 1,860. More than 400 deaths were recorded in the West, 106 in the Center and 88 in the North.
The most affected cities are Delmas with 1,257 cases, Pétion-ville with 1,118 and Port-au-Prince with 647. The age group most affected by the disease ranges from 30 to 39 years, with 8,353 confirmed cases.
CHOLERA MEANWHILE SPREADS
“The most serious epidemic right now is cholera,” notes Pape.
On Thursday, the Haitian Ministry of Health reported 9,317 suspected cases in the country, 807 confirmed cases and 8,146 people hospitalized.
The most affected age group so far is 1 to 4 years old, with 138 confirmed cases, followed by 30 to 39 years old, with 133. 60% of suspected cases are women, with a disease positivity rate of 39%. .25%.
On November 15, the Haitian government, the United Nations and partners launched a US$145.6 million aid appeal to support the country’s emergency response to the new wave of cholera and provide life-saving assistance to 1.4 million people live in the most affected areas.
“As the number of suspected cases continues to rise, there are fears that the spread of the disease will rapidly reach other urban centers in the country,” the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, adding that vulnerable groups are at risk particular risk of contracting cholera. EFE extension
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