Cholera in Haiti

Question 1

give a fact that demonstrates Haiti’s low socio-economic status

Answer 1

Haiti is considered one of the poorest country in the south america, with 80% of its population living below the poverty line.

Question 2

what was cholera in Haiti like before 2010

Answer 2

before 2010, haiti had never before experienced an instance of cholera

Question 3

what natural disaster prompted the outbreak of cholera in haiti

Answer 3

the devastating 2010 earthquake

Question 4

how did cholera initially get into haiti

Answer 4

it was brought by nepalese peacekeepers who came for the 2010 earthquake

Question 5

which natural disaster worsened the spread of cholera in haiti

Answer 5

hurricane thomas on 5 november 2010

Question 6

what is cholera?

Answer 6

cholera is an infection of the small intestine caused by water-borne bacteria

Question 7

how is cholera typically transmitted

Answer 7

cholera is typically transmitted by the consumption of water contaminated by the feces of infected people

Question 8

what are the main symptoms of cholera and what can these lead to

Answer 8

the main symptoms are extreme diarrhoea and vomiting which can lead to life-threatening dehydration

Question 9

how many people does cholera effect annually worldwide

Answer 9

cholera affects 3 to 5 million people every year

Question 10

which two global regions is cholera most present in

Answer 10

India and sub-Saharan Africa

Question 11

which social group is particularly at risk and why

Answer 11

infants and young children are particularly at risk as they are most vulnerable to the effects of dehydration

Question 12

explain cholera’s presence in the western world

Answer 12

with the discovery that cholera could be prevented by the use of clean water and effective sanitation systems, cholera was eradicated from the western world. in the 21st century, it exclusively effects developing countries.

Question 13

what is cholera often described as

Answer 13

‘a disease of poverty’

Question 14

explain the geographical location of Haiti

Answer 14

Haiti is a country in the Caribbean, located on the western region of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic

Question 15

what is Haiti’s population

Answer 15

10 million

Question 16

what is Haiti’s capital

Answer 16

Port-au-Prince

Question 17

how much of Haiti’s population live in Port-au-Prince

Answer 17

1 million (10%)

Question 18

give a statistic that demonstrates Haiti’s access to healthcare

Answer 18

only 40% of the population had access to basic healthcare in 2014

Question 19

give a statistic that demonstrates educational attainment in Haiti

Answer 19

only 68% of children were attending primary school in 2014

Question 20

what was the estimated death toll from the 2010 earthquake

Answer 20

estimated death toll was between 100,000 and 160,000

Question 21

how did damage to infrastructure from the earthquake influence emergency aid access for the initial cholera outbreak

Answer 21

widespread damage to national infrastructure, including road and water systems, presented major issues for emergency aid in the following weeks

Question 22

how long after the earthquake did the outbreak of cholera first emerge

Answer 22

10 months after the earthquake in October 2010

Question 23

where did cases of cholera first emerge and how far from the capital, port–au-prince, was this

Answer 23

cases first emerged in the rural Artibonite region, approximately 60 miles north of port-au-prince

Question 24

by the end of November 2010, how many cases and deaths from cholera had been reported

Answer 24

by the end of November more than 515,000 cases of cholera had been reported, including nearly 7000 deaths

Question 25

how long did the epidemic go on for

Answer 25

10 years.

Question 26

what natural disaster occurred in 2012 which worsened the effects of cholera

Answer 26

in December 2012 hurricane sandy hit Haiti, causing the number of cholera cases to triple overnight

Question 27

how many people has cholera in haiti killed

Answer 27

close to 10,000

Question 28

which strain of cholera existed in haiti

Answer 28

‘ElTor’

Question 29

where was identified as the initial source for cholera in haiti

Answer 29

the artibonite river.

Question 30

what was an early theory of how cholera emerged in haiti

Answer 30

it was suggested by several experts that changes in the temperature of the Artibonite river due to La Nina may have led to cholera bacteria entering the river from the sea.

Question 31

how did the nepalese peacekeepers bring cholera to haiti

Answer 31

an outbreak of el tor cholera had recently occured in nepal and somehow, potentially by contaminated food, the UN peacekeepers brought it with them

Question 32

give a fact that demonstrates the rapid spread of cholera in haiti

Answer 32

cholera in Haiti was the highest number of recorded cases within a single country in over 50 years

Question 33

explain the medical factors which contributed to the rapid spread of cholera in haiti

Answer 33

As haiti had no previous exposure to cholera, there was no natural immunity within the population. this meant that the spread and death toll was always going to be serious

Question 34

how did migration influence the spread of cholera in haiti (two ways)

Answer 34

the earthquake earlier in the year led to high levels of internal migration within haiti, this helped to spread the disease across the country as infected people travelled to new areas. Additionally, when knowledge of the outbreak in the artibonite region emerged, people fled as an attempt to escape infection. However, this had an adverse effect, spreading the disease further.

Question 35

how did housing effect the spread of cholera in haiti

Answer 35

many people lived in temporary accommodation as a result of the earthquake, this led to overcrowding in poor quality accommodation, increasing the likelihood of transmitting the disease. furthermore, such accommodation rarely had access to clean water and adequate latrines

Question 36

why was rainfall ruled out as a contributing factor to the outbreak of cholera

Answer 36

rainfall was low in october for the artibonite valley region, ruling this out as a factor

Question 37

what environmental factors did significantly prompt the spread of cholera in haiti

Answer 37

the arrival of hurricane thomas on 5 november 2010 and hurricane sandy in december 2012

Question 38

explain three ways in which socio-economic status contributed to the outbreak.

Answer 38

the poverty–stricken nature of haiti meant that there was low access to clean water and sufficient sanitation. even before the earthquake, only 17% of haitians had access to proper latrines (compared to the neighbouring dominican republic where that figure is 93%). As a result large numbers of people were forced to use rivers for their water needs. Secondly, there was a widespread lack of knowledge on the importance of proper sanitation techniques. Finally, most medical facilities were underfunded and poorly equipped to deal with an outbreak of this scale.

Question 39

what three bodies responded with aid strategies to the outbreak

Answer 39

the UN, aid organisations, and medical relief groups

Question 40

what three things were set up to attempt to reduce death rates

Answer 40

• -specialised cholera treatment centres were set up across haiti in late 2010 to take pressure off over-burdened hospitals
• mobile medical units were deployed at more remote regions of the country.
• local hospitals and clinics received additional training on cholera treatment

Question 41

what two strategies were deployed to reduce the spread

Answer 41

• a widespread health awareness campaign on the importance of personal hygiene.
• aid groups also launched campaigns on the importance of boiling or chlorinating water, and supplied chlorine tablets to local communities.

Question 42

how can the treatment and infection campaigns be viewed

Answer 42

as a huge success

Question 43

give two statistics that are evidence for the success of infection and treatment campaigns

Answer 43

infection rates plummeted in 2011, mortality amongst cholera victims decreased from 10% in October 2020 to less than 1% from January 2011 onwards

Question 44

why could the initial campaigns never be completely successful

Answer 44

the only long-term solution is providing widespread access to clean water

Question 45

how did haiti’s economic status delay its recovery from the cholera epidemic for so long

Answer 45

Haiti remains one of the poorest countries in the world, heavily indebted and still recovering from the long-term impacts of the 2010 earthquake. In such a situation, there simply were not the resources to put the kind of infrastructure into place which could ensure safe water for the majority of haitians.