Cholera death toll in Haiti passes 600

A woman suffering from cholera symptoms is checked by a Cuban doctor at the hospital in Archaie, Haiti, Tuesday Nov. 9, 2010.

Haiti's health ministry has said cholera is "now a matter of national security"

The
death toll from cholera across Haiti has risen to 644, as aid workers
fight to contain the spread of the disease in the capital,
Port-au-Prince.

At least 10,000 people suffering from cholera are in hospitals across the country.

Doctors in Port-au-Prince say they are alarmed at the speed at which new cases are emerging.

A senior health ministry official said the epidemic was now "a matter of national security".

The ministry on Tuesday confirmed the disease had reached Port-au-Prince, which had feared an outbreak since October.

About 170 people are now being treated in hospitals in the
city, according to the Pan-American Health Organisation (Paho). One
person has died.

'Cross the border'

Dan Epstein, a Paho spokesman, said the organisation expected
270,000 Haitians to be infected by the disease in "between six months
and a year", according to modelling based on a past outbreak in Peru.

"What's really important to us now is the trend of where it
is and the long term trend of where it is going to be," he told the BBC.

"Its hard to predict the impact. But it's very likely that cholera is going to be in Haiti for a while," he added.

Paho has warned that there is a real risk of the epidemic crossing the border into the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

The organisation says that trying to educate the population
about prevention and treatment of the disease, thereby reducing the
fatality rate of the disease in the Caribbean country, remains a
priority.

The disease broke out in the Artibonite River valley in
central Haiti in mid-October and initially seemed to have been
contained, but cases have since soared.

Officials are warning that a sizeable outbreak in
Port-au-Prince, where 1.3 million earthquake survivors live in tents, is
now likely.

"The epidemic of cholera, a highly contagious disease, is no
longer a simple emergency, it's now a matter of national security," the
director of Haiti's health ministry, Gabriel Thimote, told a news
conference.

Cholera outlook for Haiti

Tens of thousands likely to be infected over next few years
Spread in Port-au-Prince likely to be extensive
Upsurge in cases likely over next few days as a consequence of flooding caused by Hurricane Tomas
High risk of outbreak in the Dominican Republic
Eradication will take time, as cholera bacteria now has foothold in the river system
Death rate expected to fall with time as percentage of overall cases

(Source: Paho)

Meanwhile, desperate scenes were described in the northern town of Gonaives, in the Artibonite region.

"Sick people died on the way to the hospital, the bodies were
covered in blankets and left near the town cemetery," mayor Adolphe
Jean-Francois told AFP.

The water-borne disease has already spread to half of Haiti's 10 regions.

Flooding caused by Hurricane Tomas is believed to have
exacerbated conditions and helped spread the disease further, officials
have said. The storm at the end of last week left 20 people dead, with
36 injured and 11 missing.

Cholera itself causes diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to
severe dehydration. It can kill quickly but is treated easily through
rehydration and antibiotics.

Relevant pics from Flickr