By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

In a follow-up on the cholera outbreak that began in Haiti in early October, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) announced this week that the country received around 1.17 million doses of oral cholera vaccines.

The vaccine (Evichol) was provided by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision (IGC), which manages the global cholera vaccine stockpile, following a request by Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP, its acronym in French).

Haiti’s vaccination campaign is set to start in the next days, initially targeting populations over the age of one year in Cite Soleil, Delmas, Tabarre, Carrefour and Port-au-Prince in the Ouest Department and Mirebalais in the Centre Department – areas in which most of the cholera cases have been reported, to date.

“Haiti has experience in managing cholera, but the fragile security situation has slowed down response efforts, so the arrival of these vaccines is most welcome,” PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne said. “PAHO has been working with Haiti since the resurgence of cholera and will continue to support the national authorities to quickly distribute vaccines, monitor cases and provide life-saving care.”

The first cholera cases in Haiti were reported on October 2 after more than 3 years with no reported cases.

14,777 suspected cholera cases, including 291 deaths have been reported through December 11. 1,262 confirmed cases have been recorded to date.

Three departments account for 94% of the reported confirmed cases: Ouest, Centre and Artibonite.

Cholera was first reported in Haiti in October 2010. Nationally, a total of 820 000 cases of cholera including 9792 deaths were reported between October 2010 and February 2019. The last confirmed case in this outbreak was reported in January 2019.