Cholera breaks out in Haitian town
At St. Nicholas hospital, hundreds of sick patients line the courtyard hooked up to IV drips.
OBI set up a water purification system that is providing clean drinking water to desperate villagers.
BABOU LA PORT, Haiti - As officials confirm a deadly outbreak of cholera in St. Marc, Operation Blessing teams are on the ground in the seaside town to provide families with desperately needed clean water.
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The extremely virulent disease has already claimed more than 100 lives with more than 1,500 cases reported.
Partners in Health staff at St. Nicholas hospital requested that OBI assist in immediate efforts to disinfect drinking water in the surrounding area. An OBI team deployed to the region yesterday, which is located about 45 miles north of the Port-au-Prince capital.
"We arrived at St. Nicholas hospital to a horror scene," said OBI's David Darg who was heading up the team. "The inside of the courtyard was lined with patients hooked up to IV drips. Children were screaming and writhing in agony, others were motionless. The hospital was overwhelmed, caught suddenly by one of the fastest killers there is: Cholera."
Staff transported and set up a water purification system that is capable of purifying up to 10,000 gallons of water per day.
"Our filtration unit fired up and word spread quickly that there was water available," Darg said. "Soon a sea of multicolored buckets surrounded us. Villagers were appearing from every direction desperate to get drinking water."
Staff are setting up two more units today as well as distributing Lifesaver jerrycans.
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