Cholera in Haiti
20 Oct 2022
World Health Organization are reporting that between 25 September and 8 October 2022, 32 confirmed and 224 suspected cases of cholera have been reported in Haiti. A total of 189 cases have been hospitalised, of which 16 deaths have occurred.
It has been more than 3 years since cholera has been reported in Haiti. The current outbreak is taking place in Port-au-Prince and Cité Soleil which are areas that are experiencing civil unrest with several thousand people having been displaced as a result of the increase in violence.
Cholera is an infection spread mainly through food and water that can cause sudden watery diarrhoea.
Advice for Travellers
Cholera is rare in travellers. Mild cases may present as travellers' diarrhoea.
If you are travelling to a country where there is an outbreak of cholera, you should be aware how to:
- practice safe food and water precautions
- practice effective hand hygiene
- treat mild diarrhoea, and when to seek medical attention
A vaccine is available to protect against cholera. Since the risk to travellers is very low, the vaccine is only usually recommended for volunteers or humanitarian workers travelling to work in disaster relief situations.
See the fitfortravel Cholera page for further information.