Cholera Cases at Bord De Mer Limbe

For the past two days the Network Support Team has been working with a group of visiting medical professionals at the Haiti Village Health clinic in Bord De Mer Limbe. Throughout the two days of clinic we had several patients present with severe dehydration and excessive diarrhea. After seeing multiple separate cases like this our team became concerned about the possibility that the cases could be linked to the wave of Cholera being seen in Haiti. Through our good relationship with the health ministry (MSPP) we were able to contact Dr. Jasmin, MSPP Director for the North, who immediately dispatched his staff to investigate our concerns.

His staff performed an initial rapid Cholera test for one of our patients, which was positive. The MSPP representatives then transported this individual and another whom we were concerned about to Cap Haitien. The other patients who had presented with similar symptoms had all responded well to oral rehydration methods and antibiotic treatments. In order to serve the patients that arrived with these severe symptoms our team established an impromptu inpatient ward which also helped to separate patients from the general population. We monitored these patients throughout the two days we spent at the HVH clinic, including administering IV rehydration when necessary.

While the the cases we saw were either transferred or stable, the HVH clinic is now faced with the prospect of other possible cases that could arise in their area. They have several visiting volunteer physicians as well as their usual Haitian staff to handle the situation. In the meantime the MSPP continues to work on their plan to provide treatment and combat the spread of Cholera as the situation progresses.

Please keep the people here in Haiti in your thoughts as they deal with this issue and the possibility of a severe storm later this week. We will continue to work to provide care for those we see at our clinics throughout the week and also work with our many partners to help address the issue of Cholera. For those who can provide assistance or are looking for ways that they can help please feel free to contact our Team. We are trying to stay abreast of the situation and work with other organizations and the local authorities to help them manage the response in any way we can.