econnexus™ » Haiti

Hurricane Irene Spares Haiti, but Threatens the United States

Jim — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:10:36 +0000

I've been blogging for some years now about the apparently increasing impact of North Atlantic hurricanes, and in particular their effect on one of the poorest nations on the planet, Haiti. Today Hurricane Irene has left Haiti in its wake, and according to the United Nations this time around:

More on Hurricane Irene Spares Haiti, but Threatens the United States

Michel Martelly "Reportedly" Wins Haiti Presidential Election

Jim — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:07:41 +0000

According to the Miami Herald:

Former singer Michel ‘Sweet Micky’ Martelly is expected to be the next president of Haiti, observers say, defeating former first lady Mirlande Manigat.

After many months of intimidation, fraud allegations, reruns, recounts, and other delays it appears that later today Michel Martelly will be formally proclaimed as the new President of Haiti. If that is confirmed the musician will have a mountain of problems to deal with, but here is the one that concerns us most. According to the official statistics 4766 people have already died in the outbreak of cholera in Haiti. Things seem to be much improved, and only one of those deaths was on March 28th, currently the most recently reported date. However just as it was this time last year the Haitian rainy season is on the way. Unlike last year people in Haiti are already dying from cholera, and the program to improve supplies of clean drinking water and better sanitation is way behind schedule.

More on Michel Martelly "Reportedly" Wins Haiti Presidential Election

The Haiti Earthquake – One Year On

Jim — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:47:56 +0000

The earthquake that killed over 250,000 people in Haiti struck one year ago. Since then a lot of funding has been promised, and a lot of projects have been started, but a huge amount remains to be done.

More on The Haiti Earthquake – One Year On

Haiti Desperately Needs More Doctors and Nurses

Jim — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:19:10 +0000

According to Reuters today the United Nations' top humanitarian official thinks that:

Haiti needs a surge of foreign nurses and doctors to stem deaths from a raging cholera epidemic that an international aid operation is struggling to control. Around 1,000 trained nurses and at least 100 more doctors were urgently needed to control the epidemic.

The official statistics are now four days old, but according to those 1415 people have now died from cholera in Haiti, 98 of them under 5 years of age.

More on Haiti Desperately Needs More Doctors and Nurses

Haiti Cholera Death Toll Passes 1000. Two More Die From Gunshots.

Jim — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:17:53 +0000

The Haitian Ministry of Public Health official statistics for November 14th reveal that the death toll from cholera had already passed 1000 two days ago. 42 deaths on the day, and 1034 in total. According to the BBC this evening:

More on Haiti Cholera Death Toll Passes 1000. Two More Die From Gunshots.

A Black Day in Haiti and at the World MoneyShow

Jim — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:46:21 +0000

Last weekend I attended the World MoneyShow in London. On the night before the event it was confirmed that significant numbers of people had died from cholera in Port-au-Prince. I've been blogging about this issue for over two years, and in my opinion that means many thousands more will die from the same cause in the not too distant future.

More on A Black Day in Haiti and at the World MoneyShow

Many More Dead in Haiti – Cholera Killing in the Capital

Jim — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 03:00:14 +0000

The media can't seem to agree on exactly how many people have now died of cholera, but they do seem to be agreed that the rate of infections and deaths is increasing, in Port-au-Prince as well as in most of the rest of Haiti.

More on Many More Dead in Haiti – Cholera Killing in the Capital

Cholera Outbreak Confirmed in Port-au-Prince

Jim — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 21:49:23 +0000

The BBC reports this evening that the cholera outbreak in Haiti is now entrenched in the capital Port-au-Prince:

Doctors are treating 73 people for the disease, amid fears that it could spread across the quake-hit city. Dozens of suspected cases are also being investigated in Port-au-Prince, which has feared an outbreak since October.

At long last the mainstream British media are doing some in depth reporting. Here's Channel 4's Jon Snow on the ground in Haiti, including an interview with Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive:

More on Cholera Outbreak Confirmed in Port-au-Prince

Haiti Cholera Death Toll Now Over 500

Jim — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 10:21:28 +0000

This morning Reuters reports that the death toll from the cholera epidemic is now over 500:

Amid widespread relief that the hurricane largely spared crowded camps in the Haitian capital housing 1.3 million quake survivors, the international humanitarian operation was turning its attention back to the two-week-old epidemic, which has killed just over 500 people and sickened more than 7,000.

More on Haiti Cholera Death Toll Now Over 500

"Relatively Speaking, Haiti has escaped the danger" of Hurricane Tomas

Jim — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 08:13:24 +0000

According to Reuters this morning the death toll in Haiti as a direct consequence of Hurricane Tomas has reached seven. Haitian President René Préval said from the presidential palace that:

Now that, relatively speaking, Haiti has escaped the danger, we have to continue to be vigilant.

According to Imogen Wall, spokeswoman for the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

More on "Relatively Speaking, Haiti has escaped the danger" of Hurricane Tomas