http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/12/07-11
Published on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 by Agence France-Presse
Haiti Cholera Outbreak 'Came from UN Camp'
PARIS - The cholera outbreak ravaging Haiti began at a camp for UN peacekeepers from Nepal, according to an expert report submitted to the French foreign ministry, a source close to the matter told AFP on Tuesday.
Haiti cholera outbreak 'came from UN camp'. (AFP)Respected French epidemiologist Professor Renaud Piarroux conducted a study in Haiti last month and concluded the epidemic began with an imported strain of the disease that could be traced back to the Nepalese base, the official said.
"The source of the infection came from the Nepalese camp," the source told AFP, speaking on condition on anonymity as he was not authorised to discuss a report that has not yet been made public.
"The starting point has been very precisely localised," he said, pointing to the UN base at Mirebalais on the Artibonite river in central Haiti.
"There is no other possible explanation given that there was no cholera in the country, and taking into account the intensity and the speed of the spread and the concentration of bacteria in the Artibonite delta," he said.
"The most logical explanation is the massive introduction of faecal matter into the Artibonite river on a single occasion," the source added.
The United Nations, which has faced violent protests in Haiti over its alleged role in an outbreak that has already killed 2,000 people and made 90,000 sick, insists there is no evidence that its troops were to blame.
Foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero did not reveal the conclusion of the report, but confirmed the foreign ministry had received a copy and said it had been passed on to the United Nations for investigation.
"From the outbreak of the epidemic, France sent to Haiti at the request of the Haitian health ministry one of its best cholera specialists, Professor Piarroux, a head of department in Marseille's public hospitals," he said.
Cholera has added to the woes of the impoverished Caribbean nation, which was devastated by a massive earthquake in January that killed a quarter of a million people and left 1.3 million living in ramshackle refugee camps.
Piarroux discussed his report in an interview with AFP last month. He did not directly blame the Nepalese, but said the cholera was from abroad.
"It started in the centre of the country, not by the sea, nor in the refugee camps. The epidemic can't be of local origin. That's to say, it was imported," he said, shortly after his return from Haiti.
Haitian officials say the first cases of cholera, a waterborne illness, broke out on the banks of the Artibonite river, downstream of the UN base.
Last month, Edmond Mulet, head of the United Nations mission in Haiti, said no UN soldier, police officer nor civilian official had tested positive for cholera, and he defended the Nepalese, who have been the target of protests.
All samples taken from the latrines, kitchens and water supply at the suspect Nepalese camp have proved negative, Mulet said.
"There is no scientific evidence that the camp at Mirebalais is the source of this epidemic," he said, complaining of "a lot of disinformation, a lot of rumours around this situation."
But Piarroux -- who works at the University of the Mediterranean in Marseille -- told AFP that the outbreak was not linked to the earthquake devastation, and could not have come from a Haitian environmental source.
"The epidemic exploded in an extremely violent way on October 19, with several thousand cases and several hundreds deaths after many people drank the water of the Artibonite delta," he said.
The professor said the world had not seen cholera spread so quickly since an outbreak in Goma, in eastern Congo, in 1994. "We've had more than 70,000 cases, and we could easily see them hit 200,000," he warned.
Cholera is caused by bacteria spread in contaminated water or food, often through faeces. If untreated, it can kill within a day through dehydration, with the old and the young the most vulnerable.
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vaialdiavolo December 7th, 2010 5:53 pm
How is it that faeces made it into the Artibonite River? Why is it that, apparently, no one bothered to consider the Haitian people who need water would be drinking from this river?
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Progressive101 December 7th, 2010 9:03 pm
And Fox as well as other networks made the Haitians out to be crazy for believing the cholera came from UN peacekeepers. M$M was more focused on the rioting than the cholera.
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echoes December 7th, 2010 9:37 pm
why was the us congress waiting till after the elections to distribute the aid money? They could have made water treatment plant in 11 months with the bilion aid pomised and housing too.
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clearbluesky December 8th, 2010 3:40 am
And why did they think no one would notice or even care? This might be a clue, it happens all the time and no one bothers to ask questions. There is a vaccine for cholera and treatment that is relatively inexpensive if administered early. This is a tragedy.
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Lucitanian December 8th, 2010 8:04 am
Haiti – The international community which is a sophisticated name for a bunch of major “western” governments with central banks all controlled by the same elite are using Haiti as their lab rat for experiments in extreme disaster capitalism. They need to make sure that they can stay in charge, and get even richer and more powerful, when they bring the rest of the world’s population down to the same level as Haiti today.
Assets will be repossessed and then they can start lending again to revalue the same stolen assets and so once again doubling or tripling their wealth by slight of hand and usury.
Their lab rat status is the price the Haitians must pay for having revolting against slavery those many years ago, something that we have not the courage to do. But in a way they might see it in a more positive light if they just realise that they have been given a jump start on us by having an early chance to learn to survive on virtually nothing and with everything and all the powers stacked against them.
Be prepared and mark my word. Where Haiti is today, the bankers and your government is sending you tomorrow.
If you think it is not a conspiracy,just have a listen to:
Sen Bernie Sanders Amazing Speech!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5OtB298fHY&feature=player_embedded#!
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jclientelle December 8th, 2010 1:45 pm
Clearly UN peacekeepers in this case are gunslingers who are not trained to understand nor to respect the plight and conditions of the people against whom they are enforcing the peace. Obviously they had little orientation and training in public health during a natural disaster. They imposed a man-made disaster on top of the destruction caused by the earthquake. There is little pretense that they are there to help with the real killers such as homelessness and lack of food and clean water, or the real robbers such as garment industry and agribusiness.
I will say again - the best chance for countries such as Haiti is for the big "Western" institutions, and our IMFs and our World Bank and our corporations and military to stay far away. We overthrow the better leaders and then suppress the people. We rob their land, disrupt their farming and set up dependence on unreliable charity. Given half a chance Haitians will solve their own problems.
If you want to help Haiti, try giving to non-interfering groups like Doctors Without Borders.
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