Young Children Most At Risk From Cholera In Haiti

Young Children Most At Risk From Cholera In Haiti

26 October 2010 – The cholera outbreak in Haiti is putting the lives of young children and babies at extreme risk.

More than 250 people have died, and while the number of child casualties is unclear, Save the Children is warning that children – especially toddlers and babies – are most vulnerable to the deadly bacteria, which can kill an adult in three hours if not treated.

“Cholera kills by completely draining the body of fluids and nutrients, which means victims can die extremely fast from dehydration and exhaustion,” says Lisa Laumann from Save the Children in Haiti.

“Children are small and not as strong as adults, and physically contain less fluid, which means the disease can kill them very fast. It’s actually very simple to stop a child dying from cholera – a simple course of oral rehydration salts can bring them back to full health. But that treatment has to be administered fast.”

Children are also at heightened risk because their parents are used to their children suffering from diarrhoea and may not recognize the illness as something that needs urgent treatment.

Save the Children is sending teams of hygiene workers into camps to make sure families know what signs to look for and how to protect themselves against the disease. Cholera is spread by contaminated water, and aid workers are ensuring families know to wash their hands thoroughly with soap, and only drink and cook with clean water.

“The conditions in many of the camps here are squalid, with hundreds of families living in very close proximity and rubbish strewn around the tents. In some of the most remote temporary camps, families aren’t able to get to the water sources installed by aid agencies,” says Ms Laumann.

“Parents I’ve spoken to here are scared. They have heard the news of the deaths 70 miles north of Port au Prince, and are terrified their children will also fall ill. That’s why it’s so important that we accelerate our emergency response, particularly making sure those mothers - who often do the cooking and make sure children keep clean–know what the dangers are. Surveillance is paramount in the fight to stop this disease spreading.”

Most people who contract cholera can recover if they are given enough fluid and nutrients to rehydrate them in time.

Save the Children has over 800 staff in Port au Prince, Jacmel and Leogane. They are delivering rehydration salts and hygiene education through mobile health clinics.

Health workers are also encouraging new mums to breastfeed rather than feed their babies powdered milk that they have to mix with water.

ENDS

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