Fears for 3m people as cholera spreads to Haiti's capital city

Health chiefs are examining at least 120 suspected cases of cholera in Haiti's capital, the most significant warning sign yet that the epidemic has spread from outlying areas to threaten as many as three million people.

Samples from patients in Port-au-Prince were being tested to confirm the presence of vibrio cholera bacteria, which has already killed at least 544 people in Haiti.

If confirmed, the bacteria could imperil an estimated 2.5 to three million inhabitants, nearly half of whom have been living in tents or under tarpaulins since their houses were destroyed in the January 12 earthquake.

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Many of those in hospital were believed to have recently arrived from parts of Haiti such as the Artibonite Valley, where the epidemic was first registered and had done its most ferocious damage.

More than 6,400 of the known 8,138 cases to date have been in the agricultural region, clustered around the Artibonite River.

At least 114 of the people suspected of having the disease in the capital are in the Cite Soleil slum, the expansive oceanside shanty town.

Since its discovery in late October, the disease has spread to half of Haiti's 10 administrative regions, or departments. More than 200 people have been taken to hospital in the West department, where Port-au-Prince is located, but no cases of cholera had been confirmed within the limits of the capital city yesterday.

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Cholera had never been documented in Haiti before its appearance last month. Ironically, the disease may have been brought to Haiti by UN peacekeepers from Nepal who have camped by the Artibonite River which is now contaminated with the cholera bug.

In little more than three weeks it is suspected of infecting tens of thousands of people.

Nearly 4 per cent of the thousands in hospital have died, most from extreme shock brought on by dehydration.

Officials are concerned that floods triggered by Hurricane Tomas on Friday and Saturday could exacerbate the spread of the disease, which is transmitted through contaminated water or food.

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Living conditions in Port-au-Prince's earthquake camps had "deteriorated as a result of the storm" and relief workers said standing water, mud, rubbish and limited sanitation make the camps a potential flashpoint for cholera outbreak.