The Ministry of Public Health and Population of Haiti reported Tuesday that 13,000 cholera infections and 276 fatalities since last October of this year, when the disease began to be registered in vulnerable areas of Port-au-Prince.

Port-au-Prince, December 7 (RHC)-- The Ministry of Public Health and Population of Haiti reported Tuesday that 13,000 cholera infections and 276 fatalities since last October of this year, when the disease began to be registered in vulnerable areas of Port-au-Prince.

According to health authorities, the most recent report shows that 12,987 people are suspected of carrying the disease, and 1,153 were confirmed by diagnostic tests, most of them in the capital.  They also pointed out that since October, 11,089 people have been hospitalized, while the organization Doctors Without Borders warned that its treatment centers are overwhelmed by the influx of patients.

In mid-November, the government of the country and the United Nations (UN) requested 145 million dollars to support the response to the outbreak and assist 1.4 million people living in vulnerable areas.  The international organization warned that in particular women, children, the elderly and the disabled are the most affected by the spread of the disease, reiterating that the funds raised would help to address other urgent humanitarian needs, as well as more deep-rooted structural problems.