Cholera to affect nearly 1 million Haitians

A cholera victim in Haiti

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170247.html

A recent report says that near one million people in Haiti may contract cholera in 2011, a figure nearly twice the number estimated by the United Nations.

On Wednesday, the The Lancet published the report, saying that up to 800,000 Haitians will be exposed to the disease in 2011, AFP reported.

Researchers believe that as many as 779,000 cases and 11,000 deaths from cholera will occur in Haiti between March 1 and November 30 this year, adding that having an access to clean water, oral vaccination and antibiotic could save thousands of lives.

The report refutes the previously released estimates, stressing that they have solely been based on assumptions.

In Haiti, which has yet to recover from the devastating January 2010 earthquake that killed 250,000 people and left the capital in ruins, the cholera epidemic that hit the country five months ago has claimed the lives of nearly 4,600 people so far.

US worried by Libya, Bahrain violence?

US Ambassador to United Nations, Susan Rice

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/166271.html

While the US has been accused of inconsistency in the Middle East, Washington claims it is concerned over reports of brutal crackdowns on peaceful protests in Libya and Bahrain.

US Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice said on Sunday that Libyan and Bahraini security forces have attacked peaceful pro-democracy protesters.

Rice has also rejected accusations that the US has responded to pro-democracy protests in the Middle East and North Africa inconsistently, Reuters reported.

State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley has also condemned Libya's use of violence and force. He added that Washington had already informed Tripoli of its objections to the fatal political crackdown on Libyan demonstrators.

Although both officials have voiced their concern and condemnation of violence against peaceful protesters in the two countries, they have failed to come to the defense of the people's demands of a regime change.

Reports say at least 80 people, including children and women, have been injured in clashes between police and protesters in the latest clashes in Bahrain.

The Bahraini government's crackdown on protesters has left six people dead and hundreds wounded, while the Libyan government has opened fire from helicopters to crack down on pro-democracy protesters as nationwide protests continue to shake the foundation of the Gaddafi regime, nearing the death toll to 300.

Haiti cholera death toll nears 3,000

Cholera death toll has risen to some 3,000 in Haiti

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157973.html


Haiti's cholera death toll has risen to 2,901 and official figures show that the daily number of fatalities has hit a record high since the beginning of the outbreak in October.

The confirmed number of cholera deaths on December 19 was just under 100, Haitian health ministry declared.

The disease has also affected over 128,000 people in the country.

There is also a growing concern in the bordering countries about the consequences of Haiti's cholera outbreak.

Experts from the World Health Organization have warned that the number of the infected people may rise to 400,000 within the coming months.

To tackle the outbreak of cholera, there is a need for more than $160 million over the next year, the United Nations said.

Haiti is simultaneously striving to muddle through the aftermath of a recent earthquake that killed over 250,000 people in January.