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Cholera Haiti 2010
About Cholera Haiti 2010
Epidemiological and genomic studies traced the 2010 Haiti cholera outbreak to a base housing United Nations peacekeepers from Nepal. The epidemic began in October 2010, nine months after the devastating January earthquake. Before 2010, Haiti had not experienced cholera in over a century. The source was contaminated sewage from a UN base flowing into the Artibonite River. By 2019, the outbreak had caused approximately 820,000 cases and 10,000 deaths. The UN initially denied responsibility despite extensive epidemiological and genomic evidence. In 2016, Secretary General Ban Ki moon apologized for the UN role. The UN announced a 400 million dollar plan, including a trust fund for victims and infrastructure, but it was never fully funded. Cholera vaccination campaigns helped control the outbreak. After about three years without confirmed cases, cholera re emerged in Haiti in October 2022. The case raises important questions about institutional accountability for disease introduction during humanitarian missions. The outbreak demonstrates how asymptomatic carriers from endemic regions can introduce diseases to vulnerable populations.
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