Today marked the 2nd anniversary of the devastating 7.0 earthquake that brought death and destruction to Haiti.
The devastation caused to the country was vast, crippling the country which was already strewn with poverty. 220,000 people died as a result of the earthquake, 300,00 more were injured and 1.5 million were left homeless.
Yet more devastation was to come in the aftermath of the earthquake when an outbreak of cholera hit the stricken country, killing thousands and leaving thousands more in hospital: the cholera outbreak still continues to kill victims of the quake, according to a report released today by the International Medical Corps.
Commenting on the cholera outbreak in a UN press release, Jon Andrus, the Deputy Director of the UN World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional arm, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), said:
“Over the past year the response from the international community has been substantial with the implementation and promotion of a variety of prevention and control strategies."
“However, despite these intensified efforts, we continue to encounter approximately 200 new cholera cases [of cholera] per day in Haiti and this number will certainly go up during the upcoming rainy season."
“Cholera elimination will require renewed efforts to ensure that safe water and sanitation are provided to every resident. Such efforts will require major investment in capacity development and infrastructure for decades. We as partners have failed to ensure safe water and sanitation is provided to every citizen of Haiti. Now we have this opportunity to reverse that failure.”
Two years on there is progress but it's proving to be slow. Much of the rubble has been moved - there were 19 million cubic metres of it, according to DEC and infrastructure is better. However recovery efforts have been blighted by a lack of funding with many countries who pledged money to help Haiti and its people in the aftermath of the disaster not fulfilling their pledge.
Charities such as the Red Cross and Save the Children are still in the country and the UN, which lost 102 members of its staff in the quake remain hard at work there too. The UN World Food Programme provides food assistance to 1.5 million people and Haiti’s National School Meals Programme ensures that 1.1 million children receive a healthy meal everyday.
On this second anniversary, the UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon called for the continued support of Haiti and as it moves forward and paid tribute to the work of UN workers in the country.
Two years on, Haiti remains a country very much in need with more. than 500,000 thousand people still without homes and access to clean water is still limited for many. Haiti's recovery will be a long one and the efforts to rebuild it will continue for a long time to come.
The devastation caused to the country was vast, crippling the country which was already strewn with poverty. 220,000 people died as a result of the earthquake, 300,00 more were injured and 1.5 million were left homeless.
Yet more devastation was to come in the aftermath of the earthquake when an outbreak of cholera hit the stricken country, killing thousands and leaving thousands more in hospital: the cholera outbreak still continues to kill victims of the quake, according to a report released today by the International Medical Corps.
Commenting on the cholera outbreak in a UN press release, Jon Andrus, the Deputy Director of the UN World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional arm, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), said:
“Over the past year the response from the international community has been substantial with the implementation and promotion of a variety of prevention and control strategies."
“However, despite these intensified efforts, we continue to encounter approximately 200 new cholera cases [of cholera] per day in Haiti and this number will certainly go up during the upcoming rainy season."
“Cholera elimination will require renewed efforts to ensure that safe water and sanitation are provided to every resident. Such efforts will require major investment in capacity development and infrastructure for decades. We as partners have failed to ensure safe water and sanitation is provided to every citizen of Haiti. Now we have this opportunity to reverse that failure.”
Two years on there is progress but it's proving to be slow. Much of the rubble has been moved - there were 19 million cubic metres of it, according to DEC and infrastructure is better. However recovery efforts have been blighted by a lack of funding with many countries who pledged money to help Haiti and its people in the aftermath of the disaster not fulfilling their pledge.
Charities such as the Red Cross and Save the Children are still in the country and the UN, which lost 102 members of its staff in the quake remain hard at work there too. The UN World Food Programme provides food assistance to 1.5 million people and Haiti’s National School Meals Programme ensures that 1.1 million children receive a healthy meal everyday.
On this second anniversary, the UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon called for the continued support of Haiti and as it moves forward and paid tribute to the work of UN workers in the country.
Two years on, Haiti remains a country very much in need with more. than 500,000 thousand people still without homes and access to clean water is still limited for many. Haiti's recovery will be a long one and the efforts to rebuild it will continue for a long time to come.
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