In an effort to combat a cholera outbreak that is spreading and has already claimed almost 300 lives in Haiti, the United Nations (UN) made a plea for donations totaling millions of dollars on Thursday.
The UN has only received $23.5 million of the $145 million it requested in a quick appeal to battle the virus, according to Ulrika Richardson, the organization’s humanitarian coordinator for the impoverished Caribbean nation.
Since the disease’s reappearance in October, “Cases continue and you have now 283 people that died from the illness, and we also have close to 12,000 people that have been hospitalized” she informed reporters.
According to her, a “worrying trend” has seen the illness expand to eight out of Haiti’s ten regions.
In the middle of November, there had been 161 cholera-related fatalities and 7,500 hospitalizations.
Richardson thought that more people would respond to the flash appeal.
She stated, “I’m really grateful for those donors who responded positively, but it’s only 16 percent of the total amount” the UN is appealing.
According to her, the UN is already planning the entirety of its humanitarian assistance program for Haiti for the following year, with a total budget of $719 million, which is twice the amount allocated this year.
“It’s an indication of the humanitarian needs in Haiti. So it is a worrying situation. The insecurity continues to be rampant,” she noted.
The poorest nation in the area is plagued by gang violence and political unrest, which has prompted calls for international security assistance.
“This insecurity and the gang domination is now close to 60 percent of the entire capital,” she noted.
She claimed that the gangs utilize sexual assault as a tool for population control and as a form of punishment.
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