Provide medical care to Haiti

Jean is a 56-year-old security guard at the St. Raphaël Health Facility in Haiti, the hospital where he was born. He survived the January 2010 earthquake and remembers when the cholera epidemic began, nine months later, in September. At the height of the outbreak, the St. Raphaël Health Facility received up to 20 cholera patients a day, with only two nurses to support the overwhelming influx of patients. “Our services were not very good,” Jean recalls. “The facility only had six beds so our patients had to lie down on the ground outside. People were dying every week.”

A combination of a history of poverty, natural disaster, neglected public water and sanitation systems, and under-resourced health infrastructure have magnified the impact of cholera in Haiti. International Medical Corps has been responding since 2010 with rapid treatment and long-term prevention services in the North Department and the North East Department of Haiti.

“Since International Medical Corps came here we started seeing fewer and fewer cases of cholera almost immediately,” says Jean.

Despite this progress, rapid response to cholera remains critical, particularly for the men, women and children living in remote and hard-to-reach areas. Due to mountainous terrain and a lack of roads, seeking health care can be a challenge—as can getting to the communities. As cholera can kill within hours if left untreated, our Mobile Medical Units respond to reports of cases within 24-48 hours. These teams are staffed by doctors and nurses and carry medicines and medical supplies that may be needed.

Because cholera thrives in places where clean water and proper sanitation are not consistently available, Mobile Medical Units are a critical piece of a total response that includes providing Cholera Kits to affected households. These kits include a bucket, soap, aquatabs, and oral rehydration solution. We also disinfect the home itself along with the ten closest homes and latrines, using the cordon sanitaire strategy, effectively creating a barrier against further infection.

International Medical Corps trains community health workers in disease surveillance and medical response. We also empower local communities to change behaviors favorable to the spread of cholera. Our cholera treatment and prevention campaigns include teaching the importance of hand-washing and using latrines, and keeping livestock from defecating in homes. We demonstrate the importance of boiling water to avoid contamination and the risk for cholera.

Our focus group discussions, educational campaigns in the schools, coordination meetings between health facility staff and community health workers, and radio messaging all contribute to stopping the spread of cholera.

Now thirty-four years into his job, Jean has many roles. In addition to being a security guard, he trains and supervises a team of 17 hygienists and cleaners, and works as a logistician for nutritional medical supplies and as a technician to ensure clean water at the St. Raphaël Health Facility. Jean shares International Medical Corps’ dedication to reaching those most in need.

We thank you and GlobalGiving for your support as we continue to address the most urgent medical needs in Haiti.

Cholera, an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water with the bacteria that causes it, can kill within hours if left untreated. However, with proper care the mortality rate is under 1%. The deadly cholera epidemic in Haiti is still on the rise, with an estimated 50,000 new cases this past year, up from the approximate 28,000 in 2014. More than 8,800 people have died from cholera and more than 736,000 Haitians have been infected since the outbreak began in 2010, months after the devastating earthquake.

International Medical Corps is proud to be the only international aid organization operating in the North and Northeast departments nearest Cap-Haitien, where the need for cholera treatment is great. International Medical Corps’ applies a holistic approach to cholera case management, recently training 90 health professionals and providing education for remote affected communities on prevention. When a cholera victim is identified, the teams disinfect his or her home to prevent the spread of cases. International Medical Corps is also advocating for, and repairing and building new cholera beds, which are specifically designed to accommodate the needs of cholera patients. The beds are typically simple to maintain, promoting hygiene and allowing for ease of access to bed pans.

With 33 cases already reported in the first two days of 2016, fighting cholera in Haiti is as critical as ever. Our mobile medical units are working every day to treat patients in cholera treatment units and in communities. As cholera is caused by contaminated water, we are also constantly working to reduce its risk by building sanitary infrastructures, including clean water sources, latrines, showers, foot baths and handwashing stations, as well as by building kitchens with access to clean water in local schools.

With the support of GlobalGiving and other generous donors, International Medical Corps continues its commitment to serve the most vulnerable populations and administer lifesaving treatment for cholera in Haiti.