Brussels, 18/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - The EU, already working hard to help Haiti fight the cholera epidemic, is stepping up its aid to the country in the throes of the health disaster that was feared after the devastating earthquake on 12 January. Speaking in Brussels on Thursday 18 November, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva sent a message of solidarity and expressed the urgency of the circumstances as she updated press on the European response to the worsening situation in Haiti. “We are in a critical period. The international community has to mobilise,” the commissioner said. Given the scale of the epidemic which is affecting virtually the whole country, the EU's priorities are prevention, access to drinking water and contributing to awareness-raising campaigns on hygiene measures and how the disease spreads, she stated.
The situation, she said, is deteriorating. Last week the number of victims of the epidemic rose dramatically. Health authorities are talking of 1,000 deaths and over 10,000 people infected. The commissioner said that cholera is now to be found in six of the districts of Port-au-Prince. Despite international aid, the public health system is overwhelmed as cholera had been eradicated many years ago in Haiti. “We are trying to mobilise all resources,” Georgieva said, extremely concerned.
The European Commission is increasing its humanitarian aid to Haiti once again sending out medical experts who are in contact with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA). It has also made available €12 million for the humanitarian partners of ECHO on the ground. For the moment, United Nations agencies have access to the whole country, but, with elections scheduled for 28 November, security threats might hinder their work. “We have to remain vigilant,” the commissioner said.
The monitoring and information centre (MIC) of the EU civil protection mechanism, which was activated on 5 November to respond to the request for assistance from the Haitian authorities (see EUROPE 10252), has already delivered aid in kind provided by France. Other member states are preparing to act. The Commission is concentrating on medical and paramedical priorities, such as prompt treatment of those affected to save lives, access to clean water, water purification units and tablets and awareness-raising campaigns, and support for the epidemiological centres which are trying to locate the sources of the outbreaks.
The UN has calculated that $164 million will be needed to halt the cholera. Money has to be focused on the centres of outbreak, the commissioner said. The main priority, however, is aid in kind. Effort is being put into water purification rather than providing bottled water with several purification stations have been set up to facilitate access to drinking water in the camps. Water purification tablets are, Georgieva said, the “most mobile” of purification systems.
The risks are greatest in those areas hit by the earthquake. In regions not affected by the earthquake, however, medical services are scarce. “That's where we need help,” the commissioner said, giving an idea of the complexity of the situation. (A.N./transl.rt)