Haiti - Epidemic : Spain fears that cholera complicates elections in Haiti
After a meeting held in Madrid this week, on emergency assistance to Haiti, with Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Soraya Rodriguez, the Spanish State Secretary of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECI) said having approved funds of 2.5 million dollars which will be managed by the IDB like as emergency assistance to the National Directorate of Water Supply and Sanitation (DINEPA).
Soraya Rodriguez and Luis Alberto Moreno announced the immediate release of $1.2 million to meet the basic needs raised by the DINEPA, in order to support a comprehensive solution purification and wastewater treatment, to contain the epidemic cholera.
"We're in one of the worst scenarios envisioned in the early days of the epidemic," lamented the Secretary of State, saying that "without humanitarian aid, without international cooperation, the situation would be a hell." Referring to the assessment of the Ministry of Health in Haiti, she said that "the numbers could quintuple without adequate access for the population, to health care and drinking water."
Soraya Rodriguez, also raised the concern of the Spanish government, faced with riots and violence that occurred in Haiti in recent days and that hinders the work of medical teams on the ground. Speaking of the upcoming elections in Haiti, she expressed concern, judging the organization of the next poll extremely difficult "let us see what occurs in the next days, hope that the situation will be normalized".
AECI has funded to date, three shipments of more than 34 tons of essential medicines to treat cholera and purification equipment for water and sanitation. "If necessary we could consider sending a special mission to help medical teams on site, as happened during the earthquake last January" indicated Soraya Rodriguez.
