Haiti cholera protests target UN

A woman carries a relative suffering from cholera into a temporary hospital in Port-au-PrinceThe UN expects the cholera outbreak will get much worse
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There have been violent protests in Haiti against UN peacekeepers, amid a continuing cholera epidemic that has killed more than 900 people.

UN troops fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators throwing stones and blocking roads in Cap Haitien.

Some Haitians have accused peacekeepers from Nepal of introducing cholera to Haiti for the first time in a century.

The UN says it has found no evidence to justify the accusation, but the cholera strain has been matched to South Asia.

There are unconfirmed reports that shots were fired during the clashes in Cap Haitien, Haiti’s second largest city.

Local radio reports said around 10 people had been injured.

As well as calling for UN peacekeepers to leave Haiti, demonstrators accused the government of “leaving the people to die”, the AFP news agency reported.

There have also been protests against the location of cholera treatment centres.

The UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Haiti, Nigel Fisher, said the demonstrations showed the cholera outbreak had gone beyond a health crisis to become “an issue of national security”.

CholeraIntestinal infection caused by bacteria transmitted through contaminated water or foodSource of contamination usually faeces of infected peopleCauses diarrhoea, vomiting, severe dehydration; can kill quicklyEasily treated with antibioticsBBC Health: Cholera Cholera ‘difficult to predict’

He added that UN agencies expected a significant increase in the number of cholera cases after a nationwide review.

“It is spreading and we have to try to contain the number of cases and we have to try to contain the number of deaths,” Mr Fisher said.

Cholera is now present in all 10 of Haiti’s provinces.

Aid agencies are battling to contain the disease in the capital Port-au-Prince, amid fears it will spread through camps housing 1.1m earthquake survivors.

President Rene Preval addressed the nation on Sunday to implore people to use good hygiene to prevent infection.

But many Haitians lack access to clean water, soap and proper sanitation.

The UN has appealed for $164m (£101m) to tackle the epidemic over the next year.

The worst affected area remains the central province of Artibonite, where at least 595 people have died.

In Port-au-Prince – which was badly damaged by the earthquake in January – 27 deaths have been recorded, most of them in the slum district of Cite Soleil.

Earlier this month, Hurricane Tomas brought heavy rains, which aid agencies say contributed to the spread of the disease, as rivers burst their banks.

Up to 200,000 Haitians could contract cholera, the United Nations says.

Cholera itself causes diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to severe dehydration. It can kill quickly but is treated easily through rehydration and antibiotics.

Presidential and parliamentary elections are due to take place in two weeks’ time, on 28 November.

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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