Blog #11: UN Pays a Price for Lives Lost Due to Cholera in Hati

Haitian's Sue UN For Cholera Epidemic, Blame Peacekeepers

After Hati was devastated last year by a massive earthquake that rattled the country into shambles, the United Nations and many other countries rushed to Hati in order to help with rescue efforts and provide aid to the country in need. When countries rushed to the aid of Hati, aid wasn't the only thing that was brought to the country, but diseases, primarily several strands of cholera, were exposed to the people of Hati, infecting over 475,000 and killing over 5,000. Cholera, a disease that directly infects the small intestine, creates a large quantity of diarrhea, ends up draining people of fresh water and can result in death if not treated by antibiotics and fluids if caught early. With so many cases of cholera being still present and so many deaths from the disease, the Hatian government is blaming the United Nations for the massive epidemic, stating that with the assistance brought into the country, sickness came with it that killed more people than helped.

From a sociological standpoint, this cholera epidemic has caused a major problem for a country and is still taking a large toll on the population. With the ability for this disease to spread so rapidly and infect people so fast, it is very hard to make sure that everyone is able to be treated for the sickness. With little amounts of medical supplies present and so many people sick with cholera, it has become a country wide epidemic that will continue to cause a huge toll to be taken out on the people.

At a larger standpoint, we can all take a step back from this issue and remind ourselves how epidemics start and how they spread. With one person carrying a disease from one country to another, that disease has the potential to infect people that have no immunity build up to it and could potentially cause a major health hazard to a large population group. In this case, cholera was an invasion parasite that took Hati by surprise and infected many people, costing the country of Hati many lives that potentially could have been saved.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237393.php