Haiti’s cholera epidemic: will it return in 2021?

Abstract

Cholera is a scourge that has plagued humanity from early times; no era was exempt at different times in history, and the mere mention of cholera in past generations often caused panic among susceptible populations. Now with the recent 7.2 magnitude in Haiti, the question re- emerges: can Haiti’s cholera epidemic return considering the extensive earthquake damage that has recently occurred? Haiti is prone to earthquakes, due to its location along a fault line, and over the centuries has encountered numerous earthquakes, some including the 2010 and 2021 earthquakes of 7.0 or greater magnitude. Cholera has been around for centuries, and in the last century has caused at least 7 devastating global outbreaks each claiming thousands of innocent human lives. Cholera infects 1.3 to 4 million people around the world annually with over 20,000 deaths per year according to the World Health Organization (WHO) statistics. Cholera is a microbial disease of multicausal origin and fecal-oral transmission, where various biological, environmental, social, political and cultural factors often intervene, thereby presenting complex solutions for what often becomes a public health issue in the broader community. Over 819,000 Haitians became ill with cholera during the years following the 2010 earthquake, with nearly 10,000 deaths reported as a result of one of Haiti’s main waterways accidently becoming contaminated with the highly infectious cholera organism. Considering the severe damages now being reported from the August – 2021 earthquake followed by a severe weather outlook, the potential for a re-emergence of the cholera epidemic may now become a serious public health threat to the island Nation, including the potential risks to other nearby Island nations in the Caribbean and beyond should infected carriers relocate to non-earthquake prone localities. Implementation of effective hygiene measures, including timely medical monitoring and strategic intervention where indicated will be essential to prevent a resurgence of cholera or other public health issues in the coming weeks and months aftermath of the destruction of the roads, structures and public health resources resulting from the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Efficacy of Biophotonics as a Therapeutic Adjunct in Resolving Microbial and Viral Infectious Illnesses

“…Cholera is a bacterial disease caused by toxigenic strains of Vibrio cholerae and the infection is usually spread via the fecal-oral route through contaminated water sources. [17][18][19] The V. cholerae bacterium is a diverse microbial species comprising over 200 strains and includes both pathogenic and non-pathogenic variants. [18][19] Only the toxin-producing (toxigenic) serologic 01 and 0139 strains of V. cholerae are associated with cholera epidemics, however.…”

“…The most recent Cholera epidemic in Haiti followed a massive earthquake in Port au Prince in 2010 and was considered one of the worst outbreaks of cholera in modern history. 17 The Haiti epidemic resulted in approximately 820,00 cases and nearly10,000 fatalities during the ensuing decade, with a brief resurgence in over 600 additional confirmed cases in 2022. 19 The majority of the cases since 2010 occurred in the greater Port-au-Prince area, the major location of the 2010 earthquake damage, much of it still awaiting recovery although the major water sources are now deemed safe.…”

Will a re-emergence of ancient infectious diseases pose a new risk to humanity in the coming millennia?

“…The continued prevalence of cholera outbreaks across the globe is but one notable example of an ancient illness that continues to persist as an opportunistic infectious organism to the present day, in part due to asymptomatic carriers who may inadvertently introduce the organism to new and naive environments as occurred in Haiti in 2010. 6,7 Cholera infection commonly follows environmental disasters and once introduced, may continue to persist for many years following an outbreak. 6,7 Cholera outbreaks can occur wherever contaminated water can infiltrate the domestic water and food supply including typical home or commercial usage of unclean, unchlorinated water.…”

“…6,7 Cholera infection commonly follows environmental disasters and once introduced, may continue to persist for many years following an outbreak. 6,7 Cholera outbreaks can occur wherever contaminated water can infiltrate the domestic water and food supply including typical home or commercial usage of unclean, unchlorinated water. Cholera is caused by two infectious strains of Vibrio cholerae, a motile, morphologically-curved gram negative organism.…”

“…The recent epidemic of Cholera in Haiti was caused by fecal contamination of a community water supply and persisted for nearly a decade (2010-2019) and resulted in 819,000 infections approximately10,000 deaths during the 8 years following the earthquake. 6,7 Extensive public health measures were introduced, and Haiti had been considered cholera free in early 2022. Unfortunately, the illness returned in September 2022, resulting in an additional 20,000 inhabitants becoming ill, and in an additional 285 cholera deaths by years end.…”