As the outbreak of Cholera in Haiti continues to claim lives, the
IOM is focusing its attention on communicating prevention methods
to halt the spread of the disease among the 1.3 million people
living in camps since the 12 January earthquake.

The epicentre of the epidemic is in the Artibonite Province,
some 50 miles from the capital and an area not directly affected by
the earthquake, but where many displaced fled following the
earthquake, to live with host families.

IOM is collaborating with Haiti's largest cell phone carrier,
Digicel, to specifically target phone subscribers who had been at
the epicentre of the outbreak when it was first identified, using
both voice and SMS messages. Investigation shows that a large
number of cell phone subscribers quickly fled the epicentre of the
disease for other parts of Haiti. The 'digital outreach' will
deliver health and hygiene prevention advice with pin-point
accuracy, to these potentially unaware victims with limited access
to healthcare.

In addition to targeting subscribers who were living at or near
the epicentre, IOM has also sent key messages to over 115,000
households in Port-au-Prince, reaching over 500,000 people a day
with a hygiene campaign focused on hand-washing and other disease
prevention initiatives.

Radio is the most trusted media in Haiti and the prevention
message has been reinforced by IOM nationwide radio programming
both on commercial and community radio stations. Radio spots are
broadcast live every day from a camp for displaced persons and
edited highlights are rebroadcast later in the evening.

The messages being sent in Haitian Creole include advice on
proper hand-washing and careful hygiene and the importance of
properly cooking food. Cholera is relatively unknown in Haiti and
particular stress is being put on informing those coming down with
symptoms to rehydrate and get to hospital as quickly as
possible.

To that end displaced persons are being advised on techniques
for preparing Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) as a simple treatment
for dehydration associated with diarrhoea, particularly
gastroenteritis and/or gastroenteropathy, such as that caused by
cholera. Along with rehydration salts, IOM is distributing simple
but effective recipes for homemade Oral Hydration Salts (ORS).

In co-operation with the Ministry of Public Health and other
humanitarian actors, IOM has also deployed teams of site planners
to assess and map possible sites to establish Cholera Treatment
Centres in five communes across the capital city.

Over 80 specialized IOM staff with hygiene training have been
deployed for direct outreach to displaced persons in camps across
the capital Port-au-Prince. They are broken into teams of 10, each
one with 2 Haitian Red Cross health and hygiene specialists. They
are targeting over 60 camps identified by IOM's Water and
Sanitation Department (WASH) as priority sites.

IOM's Health and WASH Units also travelled to Gonaives over the
weekend to reinforce the capacity and resources of the teams there
in responding to the epidemic. The IOM staff in Gonaives was
provided with information on cholera and preventive measures.
Essential items such as ORS and water purification tablets were
also distributed to staff.

IOM's hygiene activities are on-going, with hygiene promotion
teams dispatched to Saint-Marc, Gonaives and across Port-au-Prince
to conduct trainings and carry out awareness-raising activities.
Extensive training has been organized for community health workers
and local leaders in areas already affected by the disease as well
as in areas where efforts are underway to prevent its spread.

For further information please contact:

Leonard Doyle

IOM Communication Haiti

Tel: + 509 3702 5066

E-mail: "mailto:ldoyle@iom.int">ldoyle@iom.int