U.N. humanitarian officials on Thursday called for “massive mobilization activities” in Haiti to promote prevention and early treatment in the cholera epidemic which has already killed more than 2,760 people and infected over 130,000 others. “There is an urgent need for massive mobilization activities to promote prevention and early treatment,” the U.N. Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said of a disease that is spread by contaminated water and food. “In addition, controlling the epidemic will depend on the level of access to safe water and basic sanitation and implementation of hygiene measures.” Major gaps and constraints in fighting the epidemic since it broke out in October include access to clean water and latrines in health facilities and cholera treatment centers, access to health care, and coordination, OCHA said. The U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) continues to provide support for hygiene promotion and social mobilization activities with the development, printing, and distribution of 97,000 posters and 150,000 laminated pages containing guidance on prevention and treatment in Creole, the local language. A course on cholera management has also been developed for community and religious leaders and will be delivered by the government. Earlier this month, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for more funds to fight the epidemic, noting that a $164 million appeal launched in November was only 21 percent funded. He also announced the creation of an independent scientific panel to investigate the source of the outbreak amid widespread media reports that Nepalese peacekeepers from the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) were the likely source, with infected water spreading form their base into a nearby tributary of the Artibonite River.
