Cholera toll expected to rise rapidly in Haiti

Confirmation that a cholera epidemic in Haiti has gained a foothold in Port-au-Prince has sparked fears the disease is now likely to spread quickly.

Already nearly 600 people have died in rural districts but doctors say they are now treating over 70 severely dehydrated individuals in the capital. Most have come from the crowded slum areas of the city.

Cholera is a waterborne disease and flourishes in basic unsanitary conditions which exist in the tented areas housing over a million survivors from January’s earthquake.

Rebuilding is continuing but humanitarian agencies are already stretched after the quake and last week’s hurricane. However, presidential and legislative elections are still being planned for November 28.

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