As if the residents of Haiti haven't had enough to contend with this year following the devastating earthquake in January 2010, the island community now faces a cholera outbreak that has already claimed hundreds of lives. The outbreak is even more serious given the number of health professionals who died in the earthquake and its aftermath as rapid treatment by such professionals is one of the few ways to stem the outbreak and save lives.

Cholera is an acute illness caused by infection of the bacteria Vibrio cholerae in the intestines normally by ingesting infected water or food. Without treatment, those infected, particularly more vulnerable children, can be dead within hours. It wasn't inevitable that there would be a cholera outbreak in Haiti, however squalid living conditions coupled with malnutrition, lack of knowledge about the dangers of using dirty water, often for cooking, and with many still living in sub-standard conditions following the earthquake, such an outbreak was always more likely.

For the latest news from Haiti, including the Hurricane Tomas which threatened to hamper relief effort check out our regularly updated Haiti news section here. The pending storm is significant because not only are around a million people in Haiti being urged to flee their ramshackle camps (often with no-where to go and away from health care provision) but it is anticipated that the storm will cause flooding across the country spreading cholera infected waters even more widely.

Rapid support is required and you can assist by contacting on the charities listed below:

www.savethechildren.org.uk
www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk

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