Cholera in Haiti Flashcards
give a fact that demonstrates Haiti’s low socio-economic status
Haiti is considered one of the poorest country in the south america, with 80% of its population living below the poverty line.
what was cholera in Haiti like before 2010
before 2010, haiti had never before experienced an instance of cholera
what natural disaster prompted the outbreak of cholera in haiti
the devastating 2010 earthquake
how did cholera initially get into haiti
it was brought by nepalese peacekeepers who came for the 2010 earthquake
which natural disaster worsened the spread of cholera in haiti
hurricane thomas on 5 november 2010
what is cholera?
cholera is an infection of the small intestine caused by water-borne bacteria
how is cholera typically transmitted
cholera is typically transmitted by the consumption of water contaminated by the feces of infected people
what are the main symptoms of cholera and what can these lead to
the main symptoms are extreme diarrhoea and vomiting which can lead to life-threatening dehydration
how many people does cholera effect annually worldwide
cholera affects 3 to 5 million people every year
which two global regions is cholera most present in
India and sub-Saharan Africa
which social group is particularly at risk and why
infants and young children are particularly at risk as they are most vulnerable to the effects of dehydration
explain cholera’s presence in the western world
with the discovery that cholera could be prevented by the use of clean water and effective sanitation systems, cholera was eradicated from the western world. in the 21st century, it exclusively effects developing countries.
what is cholera often described as
‘a disease of poverty’
explain the geographical location of Haiti
Haiti is a country in the Caribbean, located on the western region of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic
what is Haiti’s population
10 million
what is Haiti’s capital
Port-au-Prince
how much of Haiti’s population live in Port-au-Prince
1 million (10%)
give a statistic that demonstrates Haiti’s access to healthcare
only 40% of the population had access to basic healthcare in 2014
give a statistic that demonstrates educational attainment in Haiti
only 68% of children were attending primary school in 2014
what was the estimated death toll from the 2010 earthquake
estimated death toll was between 100,000 and 160,000
how did damage to infrastructure from the earthquake influence emergency aid access for the initial cholera outbreak
widespread damage to national infrastructure, including road and water systems, presented major issues for emergency aid in the following weeks
how long after the earthquake did the outbreak of cholera first emerge
10 months after the earthquake in October 2010
where did cases of cholera first emerge and how far from the capital, port–au-prince, was this
cases first emerged in the rural Artibonite region, approximately 60 miles north of port-au-prince
by the end of November 2010, how many cases and deaths from cholera had been reported
by the end of November more than 515,000 cases of cholera had been reported, including nearly 7000 deaths
how long did the epidemic go on for
10 years.
what natural disaster occurred in 2012 which worsened the effects of cholera
in December 2012 hurricane sandy hit Haiti, causing the number of cholera cases to triple overnight
how many people has cholera in haiti killed
close to 10,000
which strain of cholera existed in haiti
‘ElTor’
where was identified as the initial source for cholera in haiti
the artibonite river.
what was an early theory of how cholera emerged in haiti
it was suggested by several experts that changes in the temperature of the Artibonite river due to La Nina may have led to cholera bacteria entering the river from the sea.
how did the nepalese peacekeepers bring cholera to haiti
an outbreak of el tor cholera had recently occured in nepal and somehow, potentially by contaminated food, the UN peacekeepers brought it with them
give a fact that demonstrates the rapid spread of cholera in haiti
cholera in Haiti was the highest number of recorded cases within a single country in over 50 years
explain the medical factors which contributed to the rapid spread of cholera in haiti
As haiti had no previous exposure to cholera, there was no natural immunity within the population. this meant that the spread and death toll was always going to be serious
how did migration influence the spread of cholera in haiti (two ways)
the earthquake earlier in the year led to high levels of internal migration within haiti, this helped to spread the disease across the country as infected people travelled to new areas. Additionally, when knowledge of the outbreak in the artibonite region emerged, people fled as an attempt to escape infection. However, this had an adverse effect, spreading the disease further.
how did housing effect the spread of cholera in haiti
many people lived in temporary accommodation as a result of the earthquake, this led to overcrowding in poor quality accommodation, increasing the likelihood of transmitting the disease. furthermore, such accommodation rarely had access to clean water and adequate latrines
why was rainfall ruled out as a contributing factor to the outbreak of cholera
rainfall was low in october for the artibonite valley region, ruling this out as a factor
what environmental factors did significantly prompt the spread of cholera in haiti
the arrival of hurricane thomas on 5 november 2010 and hurricane sandy in december 2012
explain three ways in which socio-economic status contributed to the outbreak.
the poverty–stricken nature of haiti meant that there was low access to clean water and sufficient sanitation. even before the earthquake, only 17% of haitians had access to proper latrines (compared to the neighbouring dominican republic where that figure is 93%). As a result large numbers of people were forced to use rivers for their water needs. Secondly, there was a widespread lack of knowledge on the importance of proper sanitation techniques. Finally, most medical facilities were underfunded and poorly equipped to deal with an outbreak of this scale.
what three bodies responded with aid strategies to the outbreak
the UN, aid organisations, and medical relief groups
what three things were set up to attempt to reduce death rates
- -specialised cholera treatment centres were set up across haiti in late 2010 to take pressure off over-burdened hospitals
- mobile medical units were deployed at more remote regions of the country.
- local hospitals and clinics received additional training on cholera treatment
what two strategies were deployed to reduce the spread
- a widespread health awareness campaign on the importance of personal hygiene.
- aid groups also launched campaigns on the importance of boiling or chlorinating water, and supplied chlorine tablets to local communities.
how can the treatment and infection campaigns be viewed
as a huge success
give two statistics that are evidence for the success of infection and treatment campaigns
infection rates plummeted in 2011, mortality amongst cholera victims decreased from 10% in October 2020 to less than 1% from January 2011 onwards
why could the initial campaigns never be completely successful
the only long-term solution is providing widespread access to clean water
how did haiti’s economic status delay its recovery from the cholera epidemic for so long
Haiti remains one of the poorest countries in the world, heavily indebted and still recovering from the long-term impacts of the 2010 earthquake. In such a situation, there simply were not the resources to put the kind of infrastructure into place which could ensure safe water for the majority of haitians.
