Cholera vaccines urgently needed in Haiti

• April 25, 2024

Three experts in public health in the United States urged the government of that country to create a stock of vaccines against cholera that could be used in regions of the world with high risk of an epidemic .

The statements of specialists occur at times when Haiti lives an epidemic of anger which has caused more than 1,500 deaths, and when the UN says that treatments against the epidemic are in short supply.

"The costs for E. U. to create and maintain a reservation of several million doses of cholera vaccines would be low, "the experts wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"But the humanitarian benefits of rapid vaccine deployment in areas with high risk of cholera outbreaks they could be huge, "they argue Matthew Waldor , from Harvard Medical School, Peter Hotez , from George Washington University and John Clemens , from the International Vaccine Institute in South Korea.

"If the vaccinations were available now, could be delivered in areas of Haiti where the epidemic to stabilize the country before the presidential elections that take place this Sunday, "said the specialists.

But it is only the opinion of three experts and the reality on the Caribbean island is very different.

What Haiti needs

Haiti needs at least 1,000 nurses more and about 100 doctors to be able to contain the deaths caused by the epidemic anger that affects the country, warned a senior UN official.

Health workers in Haiti are also facing the shortage of almost all the equipment needed to contain the epidemic, he said. Valerie Amos , Undersecretary-General of the UN for Humanitarian Affairs, during a visit to the country.

The Haitian government says that more than 1,500 people have died from the epidemic and that more than 25,000 people have been treated in hospitals with anger symptoms .

The epidemic It is spreading twice as fast as initially estimated, says the UN.

The humanitarian agency of United Nations He said that doctors and nurses in Haiti are overwhelmed and their efforts are hampered by the shortage of necessary supplies, from soap to body bags.

"It is clear that we need to do more," Valerie Amos told the news agency Reuters during a visit to the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

"But it's not just money, it's crucial for people, getting more doctors , nurses , more people who can help raise awareness about what is happening in Haiti, "he added.

The UN needs the help of countries and humanitarian organizations with the potential to quickly supply medical personnel, said Amos, such as Cuba, which already has about 400 doctors and other health workers in Haiti.

"We have to control the outbreak and we have to reduce the percentage of people who are dying and this is a matter of urgency, "the official added.

Source: BBC World

Video Medicine: Water In The Time Of Cholera: Haiti's Most Urgent Health Problem (April 2024).