Haiti earthquake 2010 and cholera outbreak

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  • Created by: Katariina
  • Created on: 25-12-21 12:55
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  • Natural hazards and disease case study: Cholera & the Haiti earthquake 2010
    • 2010 earthquake and the geographical area affected
      • Jan 12th 2010: a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti about 25 km from Port-au-Prince
        • Port-au-Prince also vulnerable due to high pop density, poorly constructed buildings (shanty towns) 70% of buildings collapsed
      • 1.3 million displaced, more than 1,000 camps set up
      • Killed 230,000 people, injured 300,000 and cost an estimated $7.8 billion
    • The earthquake's influence on the risk and outbreak of cholera
      • Migration = displacement meant people spread the disease geo-graphically (disease diffusion)
        • Earthquake displaced people = 1.6 mill in emergency camps = overcrowding allowed diffusion
      • People didn't have access to clean drinking water = forced to drink from the Artibonite river
      • UN aid workers flown in from Nepal because of the earthquake = brought cholera with them
      • Earthquake destroyed much of the infrastructure
        • The country was not in a position to effectively tackle the disease
        • The earthquake destroyed sanitation networks allowing sewage to enter water supplies
    • Factors affecting the spread of cholera
      • Environ-mental (physical)
        • Initial theory: warmed Artebonite River estuary (due to La Nina weather caused dormant cholera bacteria to activate - cholera entered the river from the sea.
        • Right environmental conditions: temps 25-30C, water salinity 15%, ph 8.5
        • Haiti is in a sub-tropical region and Artibonite River has the necessary estuarine conditions.
        • Chloera increased in October = bacterial infection more easily spread in urban areas (flooding)
      • Human
        • UN: the cholera outbreak was largely attributed to international migration of UN peacekeepers from Nepal to Haiti = relocation diffusion
        • Proximity/ high population density: 1.6 million living in refugee camps, Port-au-Prince population density is 16,000 people /km2
        • Poor living conditions: 58% have access to clean water
          • Inadequate infrastructure: 19% of the population have access to proper sanitation
        • Lack of public awareness: low levels of education about the disease spread, 58% under-nourished and therefore vulnerable
        • Lack of effective immu-nisation programme: globally vaccination supplies limited in 2010
          • Not endemic to Haiti; no natural immunity to the disease
    • Impacts of the disease on the Haitian people
      • Mortality & morbidity
        • Since 2010 there have been 780,000 cases of cholera
          • Including 9,100 cholera-related deaths (fatality ratio only 1.3%)
      • Socio-economic impacts
        • Displacement: the outbreak of the disease displaced 1.6 million people especially around the Artibonite region forcing people to live in temporary camps
        • Economically: unemployment rates 10.6%+ following the disaster, many people unable to work
          • In 2011 40.6% of the population was unemployed
        • Poverty: 3 years after the outbreak, 80% lived below the poverty line
        • Trauma: long-term psychological impacts of the disease; children left parentless

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