Cholera not only threatens human health, but 1.2 million children´s lives who live in regions where new cases have been reported.

The international community must find a rapid solution to this overly serious threat, especially for children and other vulnerable people, PAHO said.

According to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), violence, insecurity and economic plights have left many of Haiti’s poorest families with no access to clean water, hand-washing soap and other basic sanitation services, bringing out a higher risk of catching cholera.

Hospitals, meanwhile, are operating on a limited basis as a result of fuel shortages and insecurity.

As for child nutrition, the UN Committee noted that the UN Children’s Fund estimated that as many as 100,000 children aged under five suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

“Haiti´s situation is alarming as malnourished children are at even greater risk from the fresh cholera outbreak,” experts warned.

PAHO warned that Haiti´s real cholera case toll is likely to be much higher, given gang violence precludes assistance from getting affected areas.

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