After its first cholera outbreak from 2010 to 2019, Haiti was cholera-free for three years. However, another cholera outbreak began in October 2022—pushing Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) to reclassify cholera from being an “eliminated disease” to one under “active surveillance” in Haiti. [1]
The current cholera outbreak, which is evolving rapidly and spreading throughout the country (especially in Port-au-Prince), is complicated by the existing humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Gang violence, socio-political conflicts, fuel shortages, and economic instability have resulted in limited access to health care and essential services, including water, food, sanitation, and access to drug supplies—factors which have exacerbated the outbreak effects on the Haitian population. [2]
The USAID-funded Country Health Information Systems and Data Use (CHISU) program has been supporting Haiti’s MSPP to integrate service availability statistics into the Carte Sanitaire (CS), the online national health data dashboard. The CS cholera dashboard now shows the cholera treatment centers (CTC) throughout the country on a map as well as information on number of beds, communities served, and potential opportunities for more beds and support.
The inclusion of CTCs within the Health Infrastructure package in the CS is a way for the MSPP to communicate information on the service delivery points that are accessible to communities near neighborhoods that have been affected by cholera. Access to this data will also allow first responders and other stakeholders to coordinate with the service delivery points for infrastructure and technical support.
Donors such as USAID/Haiti are using the CS data to view the number of cholera treatment centers and each center’s present capacity, among other data points. This real-time information will allow USAID/Haiti and other health partners to better coordinate their support [3] with the MSPP response and will inform the public of the nearest CTC located in their neighborhood.
CHISU’s support of the CS cholera dashboard has helped fill a critical information gap on Haiti’s cholera response for both the MSPP and USAID/Haiti. By having access to the dashboard’s up-to-date information, the MSPP and health partners can better plan service delivery and the public can be better informed on the CTC resources in their neighborhoods. CHISU will continue to add new features and functionalities to the CS to meet MSPP needs.
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[1]
During October-December 2022, the Haiti Ministry of Public Health reported 13,672 suspected cholera cases, including 283 deaths from all ten departments in the country.
[2]
According to the World Health Organization, Haiti is experiencing a resurgence of cholera, with the outbreak evolving rapidly and spreading to all parts of the country.
[3]
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing financial support to Haiti in response to the country’s humanitarian crisis and cholera epidemic.