Cholera Response
The Red Cross response to the cholera outbreak in Haiti was immediate. This includes support for both the treatment and relief of the disease, and its prevention.
In order to support the International Red Cross response to the outbreak, and at the request of the Haitian ministry of Health, a Canadian Red Cross basic health care emergency response unit (field hospital) was set up as a cholera treatment centre in Carrefour, complete with 80 beds and 14 Canadian health and technical professionals, as well as local medical staff. After months of training, the centre was handed over to the Haitian Red Cross to support the community's medical needs. The Red Cross has also established a cholera treatment centre in Arcahie, north of Port-au-Prince, as well as an observation centre in the La Piste camp in Port-au-Prince, home to 50,000 people.
As part of our cholera prevention activities, hundreds of Red Cross volunteers have visited communities to provide vital health and hygiene information to help people protect themselves from cholera. Hundreds of thousands of text messages have been sent out containing vital information about cholera - what is it, how to prevent it, and what to do if you become sick. The Red Cross has also been disseminating cholera information through radio programs and using trucks travelling through the streets broadcasting cholera prevention messaging and hygiene promotion songs.
