UNICEF Warns Of Cholera Resurgence In Haiti If Water Hygiene, Sanitation Neglected

Haiti may face a resurgence of waterborne diseases, such as cholera, if water hygiene and sanitation continue to be ignored, especially given infrastructure damage from the recent massive earthquake, UNICEF Haiti's Chief of Communications Ndiaga Seck told Sputnik

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2021) Haiti may face a resurgence of waterborne diseases, such as cholera, if water hygiene and sanitation continue to be ignored, especially given infrastructure damage from the recent massive earthquake, UNICEF Haiti's Chief of Communications Ndiaga Seck told Sputnik.

"Water hygiene and sanitation is a problem in Haiti. As you know, UNICEF has been fighting along with the Minister of Health here in Haiti, the cholera that started in 2010 here. We are very likely to win this battle because since February 2019, we haven't got any case of cholera," Seck said. "Now, if we neglect water hygiene and sanitation, waterborne diseases, such as cholera, can surge again and that will be another issue to solve.

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In the area of the deadly August earthquake alone, around 1,800 defects in the sanitation system have been identified.

Another big issue is hospitals which have been damaged or destroyed and they need repair or rebuilding.

Haiti was rocked by a devastating earthquake in August, which killed over 2,000 people and caused signification damage. In addition, the country is suffering from poverty, gang violence, and a political crisis exacerbated by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise last July.