International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Haiti

Cholera after the earthquake [New photos from Haiti]


January 12, 2011
By Gerald Martone

At an IRC clinic in Port-au-Prince, patients are screened for diarrhea and dehydration.

Photo: Gerald Martone/IRC
Port-au-Prince, Haiti -

Cholera after the quake

  • The most important prevention is to provide clean drinking water. The IRC provides water in several camps around Haiti.
  • It is also important to disinfect water once it is collected since many people are using buckets that are already contaminated. IRC teams stand by water collection points and squirt pre-mixed doses of chlorine into people's buckets. This is one of the most effective ways to prevent the disease and ensures that water is safe right up until people drink it.
  • At each camp where IRC works, the teams check the chlorine levels of drinking water in people's homes to make sure that they are drinking safe water.
  • Haiti receives a lot of rainfall and unfortunately this increases the spread of the disease. As you can see, many of the channels and water run-off canals are clogged with waste and litter.
  • IRC teams are also working on clearing these canals.
  • IRC sanitation teams also build latrines in each of the camps to make sure that human waste is deposited in closed collection areas that cannot infect water supplies.
  • At the IRC clinic, patients are screened for diarrhea and dehydration. Patients are also instructed in how to prevent diarrhea and how to treat dehydration.
  • In each camp, the IRC has constructed bright yellow kiosks. This is where residents can come to get oral rehydration solution for sick family members. They receive small rehydration packets filled with minerals and sugar to mix with water. For someone with dehydration, this simple liquid will replace their lost fluids and save their life.
  • In a cholera epidemic, there is often panic, superstitious rumors, and misconceptions about the illness. One of the most important things that IRC teams are doing is intensive health education in each of the camps. Crowds gather around the IRC educators and are taught clean water handling, mixing rehydration fluid, hand-washing, and the importance of using latrines.
  • Hand-washing is a critical way to prevent the spread of the disease. IRC teams give a detailed demonstration on how to aggressively clean your hands to make sure you don't catch or spread the disease.
  • These smiling children have escaped the cholera outbreak and if they keep IRC's health education messages in mind, they will be free from this disease until the epidemic is over.
Launch Slideshow

IRC cholera response teams are working in 30 camps throughout Port-au-Prince, Haiti teaching earthquake survivors about the deadly disease, how to treat it and how to prevent it. 

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Cholera after the quake

Submitted by Kate Sands Adams on January 12, 2011 - 9:08am
Date: 
January 12, 2011

IRC cholera response teams are working in 30 camps throughout Port-au-Prince, Haiti teaching earthquake survivors about the deadly disease, how to treat it and how to prevent it. 

Women helping women in Haiti


January 11, 2011
By Madeleine Rene

Madeleine Rene educates women on their rights and ways to prevent violence.

Photo: Susana Ferreira/IRC
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Taking action for Haiti


January 10, 2011
By Roxanne Paisible

The IRC’s Roxanne Paisible (left) with Oveline Mercuix, an IRC child and youth protection expert in Haiti.

Photo: IRC
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Haiti, One Year On: Helping Haitians recover


January 9, 2011
By The IRC

More than 2,000 people have been put to work in Port-au-Prince through an IRC cash-for-work program.

Photo: Gerald Martone/IRC
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Haiti, One Year On: Providing access to justice


January 8, 2011
By The IRC

In Haiti, bureaucratic challenges that existed prior to the earthquake continue to be an obstacle.

Photo: Gerald Martone/The IRC
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Haiti, One Year On: Caring for children


January 7, 2011
By The IRC

In IRC Child Friendly Spaces, children affected by the earthquake can engage in fun, educational activities led by trained and caring adults. Photo: Gerald Martone/The IRC

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Haiti, One Year On: Delivering health care


January 6, 2011
By The IRC

Nurses from the IRC's Carrefour clinic in Port-au-Prince and a special IRC cholera response team have carried out education and prevention activities in 30 camps.

Photo: Susana Ferreira/IRC
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Haiti One Year On: Addressing the urgent need for clean water and sanitation


January 5, 2011
By The IRC

The IRC's cholera response teams have been visiting camps all over Port-au-Prince to talk to residents, answer their questions about cholera, and talk about how they can help people in affected areas practice good hygiene so that they don't make others sick.

Photo: Susana Ferreira/IRC
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