HAITI / CHOLERA

The presidents of Haiti and the Dominican Republic joined -in a pre-recorded message- the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), UNICEF, and the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wednesday in Washington D.C. in calling for major international investments in water and sanitation infrastructure to eliminate cholera from the island of Hispaniola.

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:03:00
• Production Date: 12 January 2012
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION - PAHO
• Subject Topical: DISEASE PREVENTION; DISEASE CONTROL; DISEASES
• MAMS Id: U120112g

Description

STORY: HAITI / CHOLERA
TRT: 3.00
SOURCE: PAHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / CREOLE / SPANISH / NATS

DATELINE: 11 JANUARY 2012, PAHO HQ / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – JUNE 2011, HAITI

1. Wide shot, two cholera treatment center workers carry a cholera patient in stretcher
2. Zoom out, patients in a cholera treatment center
3. Wide shot, nurse giving water to a girl in a crowded cholera treatment center

11 JANUARY 2012, PAHO HQ, WASHINGTON D.C.

4. Med shot, PAHO, UNICEF, CDC officials meeting at the call for action.
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Mirta Roses, Director, Pan American Health Organization, PAHO:
“The partners who have gathered here today, including the governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with the support of PAHO, CDC, UNICEF, and others will form the core of this new alliance to eliminate cholera from the island of Hispaniola”.
6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Leonel Fernández, President of the Dominican Republic (PRE-RECORDED FOR THE EVENT):
“Aware of the strategic value today of living in harmony and integration in thesearch for common solutions to the problems that affect our countries in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic views the launch of the Callto Action for the elimination of cholera from Haiti and Dominican Republic as alaudable initiative”
7. SOUNDBITE (French) Michel Joseph Martelly, President of the Republic of Haiti (PRE-RECORDED FOR THE EVENT):
“We have received many pledges of aid for reconstruction, but we must now move toaction. Safe drinking water and adequate sanitary facilities are the right of every Haitian.Only a joint,comprehensive strategic approach can help us eliminate cholera, which hasstricken half a million Haitians and killed thousands. Such an approach will enable us tohave a healthy, cholera-free Haitian population a decade from now”

FILE – JUNE 2011, HAITI

8. Wide shot, truck pumping water in a cholera treatment center
9. Wide shot, children drinking water from pipe in the streets
10. Med shot, a girl getting water from pipe

11 JANUARY 2012, PAHO HQ, WASHINGTON D.C.

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sanjay Wijesekera, Chief, Water and Sanitation, UNICEF:
“UNICEF has the privilege of working with the government of Haiti to provide water supply to 200 000 people in 2012. We would like that to be a lot more obviously depending on the success of this appeal and the availability of resources”
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin De Cock, Director, Center for Global Health, CDC:
“Obviously the long term solution for eliminating cholera in Haiti and the Dominican Republic is investment in infrastructure for WASH and proper maintenance of that infrastructure. Increasing the investment in WASH over the longer term will control the current cholera epidemic and prevent recurrence, but also reduce the risk for other diarrheal diseases and waterborne diseases such as hepatitis, typhoid, etc”

FILE – JUNE 2011, HAITI

13. Wide shot, street in Port au Prince flooded with water and garbage

11 JANUARY 2012, PAHO HQ, WASHINGTON D.C.

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Mirta Roses, Director, Pan American Health Organization, PAHO:
“We can make a difference by joining efforts to save more lives and reduce disease, we must make this effort. The people of Haiti and the Dominican Republic deserve it. Let’s take the first step together today, and together we can do it”

Storyline

The presidents of Haiti and the Dominican Republic joined -in a pre-recorded message- the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), UNICEF, and the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today in Washington D.C. in calling for major international investments in water and sanitation infrastructure to eliminate cholera from the island of Hispaniola.

They appealed to donor countries and agencies to fund the investments by honoring pledges made after Haiti’s 2010 earthquake and through new funds specifically targeted at water and sanitation infrastructure.

Since the start of the current outbreak, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, along with PAHO/WHO, UNICEF, the CDC and other partners, have been working to reduce deaths and illnesses from cholera through improvements in patient treatment, surveillance, access to safe drinking water, solid waste management, and community education and mobilization. While these efforts will continue, proponents of the call to action said it was now time to aim at a more ambitious goal.

As follow-up to today’s call to action, Dr. Roses said the three agencies involved would form a new task force led by the governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic and supported by national and international water and sanitation experts.

The group will be charged with developing a timeline and a detailed plan for making infrastructure investments and carrying out supporting public health campaigns.