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| A man holds his own IV bag outside of an overcrowded clinic -Photo from CBC.ca |
For a two days now, the death toll has been relatively stable at around 300 with well over 4,000 infections. It seems that Haiti has been given a little bit of time (or breathing space) to prepare for what the experts are predicting will be a large second wave. Actions on the ground have been frantic - NGOs have leapt into action setting up medical sites, the government has been pushing public messages out to radio, and the UN agencies have attempted to consolidate needs lists to appeal to international donors.
All the while Haitians are legitimately wondering where the cholera came from - after all, this is an island that hasn't had a case in over 200 years (or maybe ever). So eyes are turning to the foreigners. And who is easier to blame than those who are resented by many Haitians? The Peacekeepers. The current rumour spreading is that Nepalese troops must have brought the bacteria, based on the logic that they are stationed near the outbreak area.... and the fact that their country occasionally has cases of cholera. One of my drivers, who a few days ago surely had never heard of the country of Nepal, is now an expert on the country's previous cholera epidemics.
The worst part about the rumour is it can't be completely ruled out since there isn't a better (or more popular) theory right now. If it proves to be true, it will be another paragraph in multichapter tomb on foreign-caused problems in Haiti.
For now the country is coping with the outbreak. Though the cholera will almost certainly breach Port au Prince in the coming days, the health and sanitation (government and non-government) agencies are preparing quickly to lessen the effects. With a quick mobilization, the epidemic will hopefully end after a couple of months. But long after the NGO emergency tents are taken down, the bacteria will remain lurking on the island for generations.
