Haiti Case Study - The Department of Global Health and Social ...

sector and the high number of foreigners coming from all over the world, maybe it was just a
matter of time before cholera arrived in Haiti with devastating effect. As UN Special Envoy
Clinton said “what really caused the cholera outbreak was the country's lack of proper
sanitation” 198
47. Local leadership and humanitarian responders faced serious difficulties:
a. First to prevent the epidemic;
b. Second to take drastic measures in order to minimize the impact of the epidemic; and
c. Third to include and mobilize all means including military assets as part of a
comprehensive response plan.
48. In addition, the impact of a disease such as this recent outbreak on the society seemed
not to have been considered in the overall security and stabilization assessments:
a. The specific threats to the population’s health in water-insecure areas require
significant investments in prevention of waterborne diseases.
b. Measures must be robust and appropriate to the expected threat and its
consequences.
c. The response plan should include military assets that are vital and available at short
notice.
d. Stabilization missions should incorporate health indicators in their overall threat
assessments.
49. Although mortality due to cholera has decreased and stabilized since the onset of the
epidemic, Haiti continues to see new cases of cholera every day, with a sharp increase
during the rainy season. The negative impact of the outbreak on both stability and
development of Haiti means that prevention of such devastating outbreaks should be a key
element for all contributors to stabilization and development.
C-9