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Fight cholera in Haiti

There is death and disease all around in Haiti. The epidemic cholera, has claimed more than a thousand lives and is far from over. The most unfortunate aspect is that adequate measures are not yet in place to contain the contagious disease.

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Moreover, the state of civic amenities in the poor Latin American country is despicable, and there is urgency for water supplies, food and medicine on war-footing basis. The response of the world community and donor agencies has been pathetic, which has furthered the sense of pessimism to a great extent.

As if disease has not been enough as a silent killer for the earthquake-ravaged people of Haiti, riots and lawlessness loom large to make life more miserable. This has literally hampered whatever rescue and succour efforts aid agencies had been planning to do in the widely un-motorable and chaotic state. This has coupled with the misperception among the people that peacekeepers are responsible for the spread of the disease. The situation becomes more complicated as the government seems to be hapless in countering this mess of human tragedy on its own, and for long has been banking on the interventionist efforts of external actors. Oxfam’s complain that violence has forced it to stop relief efforts is disheartening. Similarly, The UN claim that unscrupulous elements are encouraging violence to disrupt the forthcoming presidential elections is quite disturbing.

The United Nations and especially prospective regional countries, including the United States, cannot remain mere spectators any more. This is no time for debates and conferences, as Haiti presents a perfect case for intervening on humanitarian grounds. The need of the hour is to come up with a robust plan to provide with hygienic drainage system, garbage disposal mechanism and ensure supply of potable water instantly. In the meantime, hordes of people who are living on the fringes of being infected need to be moved to safer pastures, and clinically examined. This can be a test case for humanitarian aid and rescue efforts, and can be reenacted with success in other flashpoints of the world. The epidemic is apolitical and it would be appropriate for the world governments to take lead in saving a dying nation before it is too late.