American Red Cross Announces $7.4 Million for Cholera Programs in Haiti

Port-au-Prince, Tuesday, February 1, 2011 – Stepping up its response to a cholera outbreak that continues to claim lives in Haiti, the American Red Cross today announced an additional $7.4 million in cholera-related programs and partnerships.

With these new cholera prevention and treatment programs, which will be implemented across the country, the American Red Cross has now spent and signed agreements to spend over $11.4 million – part of its commitment to spend a total of $14.4 million to support cholera programs in Haiti.

The Haitian Ministry of Health reports more than 4,000 dead and more than 209,000 cases as a result of the outbreak, which began in late October. Three months later, the mortality rate has fallen but new cases continue to be reported, particularly in rural areas of the country. The new programs and partnerships target vulnerable communities in multiple regions.

The American Red Cross will directly implement more than $4.3 million of new cholera-related programs, including:

• Expansion of an existing program of educational outreach to vulnerable communities through teams of hygiene promoters. Working in partnership with the Haitian Red Cross, the American Red Cross will manage more than 500 Red Cross hygiene promoters. Their goal is to reach more than 377,000 households by the end of 2011 with a focus on cholera prevention, as well as distribution of supplies that will help stem the spread of the disease, including soap, aquatabs and oral rehydration salts (ORS).
• Establishment of 250 posts/distribution points within communities for ongoing provision of the oral rehydration salts.
• Training of 1,500 Haitian Red Cross volunteers to administer these posts/distribution points.
• Referral of suspected cholera cases to cholera treatment facilities.

Initial plans call for the program to be implemented in Port-au-Prince, as well as several departments or regions across the country (including the West, North and Northeast).

The American Red Cross is also providing more than $3.1 million to support in new cholera-related programs in collaboration with partner organizations. This includes $1.5 million for programs with Save the Children, which will focus on cholera prevention and treatment activities in and around Leogane over the next six months. In addition, it includes $1.6 million for programs with International Medical Corps (IMC), which will focus cholera prevention and treatment (including water and sanitation) on the West and South departments over the next 12 months.

A few highlights of these programs include:

• Establishment and operation of a number of 15-20 bed cholera treatment units in rural areas around Leogane.
• Establishment of oral rehydration posts in rural areas around Leogane, with referral systems set up to send patients to treatment facilities.
• Funding of cholera prevention education and distribution of cholera-prevention supplies by community health workers and health promoters.
• Providing small grants to local organizations to assist them with community outreach and awareness about cholera prevention, as well as support projects to develop water and sanitation infrastructure development in the West and South departments.
• Improving access to safe water and sanitation in order to control infection.
• Construction or rehabilitation of latrines, showers and hand-washing facilities at targeted health facilities in the West and South departments.
• Establishment of water kiosks in targeted communities.

These new programs and partnerships will expand upon $3.8 million in previously announced cholera-related programs run by the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross cholera response has already included providing urgently needed medical supplies, donating 5,000 cots to the Haitian Ministry of Health, more than $2.5 million in cash and supplies to support cholera programs managed by the global Red Cross network, in addition to expanding its hygiene promotion program.

Red Cross Supports Pan American Health Organization with $1.5 Million in Medicine and Supplies for Cholera Response

WASHINGTON, Friday, December 17 – In response to the growing cholera epidemic in Haiti, the American Red Cross announced today it is donating $1.5 million to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to purchase, ship, store and distribute IV fluids and other essential supplies.

This action comes as the number of cholera cases in Haiti has now exceeded 100,000. Funds will provide 250,000 liters of Ringer’s Lactate solution, an IV fluid that helps to keep cholera patients hydrated; 15,000 units of erythromycin, an antibiotic; as well as catheters and gloves to help nurses and physicians provide lifesaving medical care.

“The American Red Cross is ensuring that essential medical supplies for the cholera response continue to arrive in Haiti,” says PAHO Director Mirta Roses Periago. “This cholera epidemic is expected to reach hundreds of thousands of people in coming months, and we need the coordinated and generous support of organizations like the Red Cross to meet these demands.”

Once they arrive in Port-au-Prince, these supplies will be available for immediate distribution in coordination with Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population.

The American Red Cross has already purchased nearly 900,000 sachets of oral rehydration solution, in addition to millions of chlorine tablets to treat water making it safe to drink, soap to ensure basic hygiene, and other health and hygiene-related items.

“We have spent millions of dollars in an aggressive response to the spread of cholera,” says Ricardo Caivano, country representative for the American Red Cross in Haiti. “Now, we are further scaling up our response to cholera prevention and treatment, including expanding the geographical scope of our activities.”

The American Red Cross has been actively working to educate Haitians about proper preventive measures, reaching more than 100,000 Haitians in Port-au-Prince by going tent-to-tent with cholera prevention tips. The global Red Cross network is also supplying clean drinkable water to more than three hundred thousand people every day.

Meanwhile, PAHO/WHO continues to ensure the availability of intravenous solutions, oral rehydration salts and antibiotics.

PAHO/WHO has been coordinating with a number of on-the-ground organizations including the global Red Cross network, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Doctors without Borders (MSF) to revise estimates and ensure enough supplies are available.

Thanks to the generosity of the American people following the January earthquake, the American Red Cross anticipates having the funds necessary to respond to unexpected emergencies in Haiti including this cholera epidemic. More information on American Red Cross activities and programs can be found at www.redcross.org/haiti.

American Red Cross Commits Additional $2 Million to Combat Cholera in Haiti

NOVEMBER 29, 2010 – The American Red Cross announced today it is committing an additional $2 million to combat an escalating cholera epidemic in Haiti that has killed more than 1,700 people and sickened more than 75,000.

The funds will be used to purchase much-needed supplies, including 40 million chlorine tabs, 3 million pieces of soap, and 140,000 oral rehydration solution sachets, as well as tens of thousands of buckets, jerry cans and water purification sachets. These items will be distributed in coming weeks.

The new contribution increases the total American Red Cross support for the cholera response to date to more than $3.3 million. The American Red Cross contribution is part of a broad response to the cholera outbreak by the global Red Cross network, which includes hygiene promotion, water and sanitation services and provision of medical supplies.

“This multi-faceted response is urgently needed to save lives,” said David Meltzer, senior vice president of International Services at the American Red Cross. “The Red Cross is engaged on multiple levels – from leading cholera prevention activities in camps such as hygiene promotion to educate thousands of Haitian earthquake survivors, to funding treatment facilities and bringing desperately needed supplies into Haiti. And we are prepared to do much more in the days and weeks to come.”

Since the cholera outbreak began last month, the American Red Cross has provided 5,000 cots for use in health centers operated by Partners in Health, Project Medishare and the Haitian Ministry of Health. At the request of the Haitian Ministry of Health, the American Red Cross has also purchased 250,000 sachets of oral rehydration solution, an essential supplement to combat the rapid dehydration from cholera which can lead to a patient’s death.

As the number of cholera cases grows, the Red Cross is trying to prevent the crisis from crossing borders.

“We are deeply concerned about the possible spread of cholera beyond Haiti and are also contributing tens of thousands of dollars to help prevent the spread of cholera in the neighboring Dominican Republic,” Meltzer said.

The Red Cross has been a leader in prevention activities. For weeks, teams of Haitian health promoters managed by the American Red Cross have been going tent to tent in the camps of Port-au-Prince to personally teach vulnerable Haitians about basic hygiene practices as well as prevention and response tips for cholera.

These face-to-face interactions have been reinforced by 2.7 million text messages sent to hundreds of thousands of cell phone users in Haiti by the global Red Cross network, as well as weekly Red Cross radio broadcasts, special advertisements and sound trucks that drive through Haitian communities in order to share cholera prevention messages quickly and to as wide an audience as possible.

During the response, the Red Cross has also been providing safe, chlorinated water each day to an estimated 280,000 displaced survivors throughout Port-au-Prince.

Thanks to the generosity of the American people following the January earthquake, the American Red Cross anticipates having the funds necessary to respond to these unexpected emergencies in Haiti. More information on American Red Cross activities and programs can be found at www.redcross.org/haiti.

See entire “Hurricane Tomas Haiti 2010″ set on Flickr >>

See entire “Medishare hospital Haiti 2010″ set n Flickr >>

While Haiti was spared the worst feared impacts of Hurricane Tomas over the weekend, the storm brought heavy rains and flooding to other parts of the country, including the area north of Port-au-Prince that is the center of a serious cholera outbreak.

The Red Cross among other aid organizations is concerned that the outbreak will spread and is therefore continuing large-scale cholera prevention and response activities in the affected region and Port-au-Prince.

Flooding poses a new threat from this water-borne disease and officials from the Haitian Ministry of Health reported on Monday that the number of cholera deaths had risen to 544 over the weekend, with more than 8,000 people hospitalized for the disease. Late Monday, reports surfaced that a new batch of potential cholera cases had surfaced in Port-au-Prince and were being tested. Another reason for a possible spread of cholera is the fact that an untold number of people in the capital and countryside evacuated their homes ahead of the hurricane and moved to other parts of the country.

To combat this epidemic, the Red Cross global network has established a cholera treatment center in Arcahie, northwest of Port-au-Prince, to respond to the growing epidemic that threatens millions of Haitians, and plans two additional cholera treatment centers in other parts of the country.

The Red Cross has been working for months to educate the camp populations about health and good hygiene, and has further ramped up those efforts with the cholera outbreak. Health promotion teams have temporarily doubled in size, to about 200 promoters, and the Red Cross expects to directly reach hundreds of thousands of people with cholera prevention messages within a month.

These face-to-face interactions have been reinforced by millions of text messages sent to about 380,000 cell phone users by the Red Cross network, as well as radio broadcasts.

The Red Cross network has also been distributing more than 660,000 gallons of clean water across Port-au-Prince every day for months. The Red Cross network buys water from existing local distributors in order to avoid disrupting local business economy by bringing water in from outside. The water is treated with chlorine before it is delivered to camps.

The level of residual chlorine is tested upon delivery to a camp or water point by ‘water point caretakers’ – trained members of the local community. The level is also tested throughout the day by the caretakers. The result of each test is recorded and stored on a database by the Red Cross. The caretakers are also responsible for cleaning and maintaining water tanks.

This quality control system is monitored by several Red Cross staff who carry out regular spot checks, both to ensure that the water is safe and that the test results are being recorded.

Each Sunday, trucks involved in the Red Cross’ water distribution campaign are inspected and cleaned thoroughly using high doses of chlorine.

See entire “Cholera Treatment Center” set by American Red Cross on Flickr >>

Red Cross Prepares Camps as Tomas Heads for Haiti

(WASHINGTON) November 4, 2010 – The American Red Cross is making final preparations in Haiti for the arrival of Tropical Storm Tomas, which is expected to inflict heavy winds and rain on the island’s already vulnerable population — including hundreds of thousands of people living under tarps and tents since the earthquake of January 12th.

As of Thursday, November 4, a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch had been issued for Haiti. On the current forecast track, Tomas is expected to approach Haiti on Friday.

The Red Cross is pursuing two types of activities before the arrival of Tomas. The first is disaster preparedness and risk reduction, which means direct work with the vulnerable camp populations. The second involves pre-positioning resources and emergency personnel for a rapid response after the storm.

Knowing that hurricane season was approaching, the American Red Cross has reached tens of thousands of people in 22 camps in recent months with activities such as digging drainage ditches, sandbagging hillsides and clearing evacuation routes. In addition, Red Cross volunteers have provided emergency first aid training, installed early warning systems (flagpoles and bullhorns) and conducted workshops to teach children about what to do when a storm threatens.

We have trained more than 50 vigilance committees in various camps. As of today, they are alerting the camp populations that red flags have been raised, meaning severe weather is imminent.

The broader Red Cross network, meanwhile, has sent millions of SMS messages in Creole, providing people with simple and accessible information on the steps they can take to minimize their risk. The vast majority of families in the camps have access to cell phones, so text messages are an effective way to reach them.

In preparation for a rapid response after the storm, the Red Cross network (including the American Red Cross and international partners) has pre-positioned emergency stocks for 17,000 families at 10 locations around the country so they can quickly be delivered to areas affected by the storm. These include emergency shelter kits, jerry cans, hygiene kits, and kitchen sets.

Red Cross emergency response teams are on standby in Jacmel, Leogane and Port-au-Prince, prepared to provide immediate assistance after the storm. American Red Cross personnel trained in health, shelter, water/sanitation, logistics and disaster response make up several of these teams, which will both assess needs immediately after the storm and help coordinate the Red Cross response.

The response to Tomas is complicated by the fact that it is one of three emergencies that the Red Cross is simultaneously responding to in Haiti. There has also a recent cholera outbreak, and we are involved in ongoing recovery work following the devastating January earthquake.

Although the cholera outbreak has largely been contained to regions north of Port-au-Prince, Tropical Storm Tomas could set back our efforts to contain the outbreak in the camps, as heavy rains cause pooling water that can increase spread of the disease.

Our cholera response has included provision of emergency personnel, supplies, chlorine to purify water and other support in the affected regions. Responding to requests from the Haitian Ministry of Health, the American Red Cross and its partners have flown urgently needed supplies into Haiti within the past week to bolster the cholera response. These include 25,000 units of Lactated Ringer’s, a treatment for dehydration that is given orally or intravenously, as well as 669 megaphones to assist in communicating with vulnerable communities. The megaphones were purchased by the American Red Cross, and the organization paid for shipping of the Lactated Ringer’s, which was supplied in collaboration with Partners in Health and J/P HRO.

Also in response to a Ministry of Health request, last week the American Red Cross flew in 5,000 cots – sourced from a Red Cross warehouse in Atlanta – to increase bed capacity at hospitals and clinics treating and preparing to treat cholera patients.

The global Red Cross network has established a cholera treatment centre in Arcahie, northwest of Port-au-Prince, and plans two additional cholera treatment centers in other parts of the country.

Despite the multiple challenges currently facing Haiti, the American Red Cross anticipates having the funds necessary to respond to these latest emergencies, thanks to the generosity of the American people. We encourage those interested in recovery efforts in Haiti to visit www.redcross.org/haiti for updates on the Red Cross response. Anyone wishing to support the American Red Cross in its work – the organization responds to 70,000 disasters each year – should visit www.redcross.org for more information.

Red Cross Prepares in Haiti as Hurricane Tomas Threatens

WASHINGTON, Monday, November 01, 2010 – The Red Cross is activating its emergency plans in Haiti, with government officials describing Hurricane Tomas as potentially the gravest hurricane threat to the country since Hurricane Ike in 2008.

As of Monday, November 1, weather forecasters said Tomas could begin to affect Haiti as early as Tuesday, causing heavy rain and strong winds that could affect communities living along the country’s southern coast.

With hundreds of thousands of people living in makeshift camps in and around the capital Port-au-Prince as a result of the January 12th earthquake, Haiti’s population is especially vulnerable to heavy winds and rain.

What the Red Cross is doing to prepare
The Red Cross has been preparing for the threat of a hurricane since February. At present, emergency stocks for 17,000 families are in Haiti and ready to be deployed to disaster-affected communities. Additional supplies for 8,000 families have also been called in from the Red Cross network’s regional logistics hub in Panama.

“We are working closely with the government to ensure that our plans are coordinated,” said Dr. Michaèle Amédée Gédéon, president of the Haitian Red Cross Society.

Ever since the January quake, the Red Cross has been supporting communities to better ready themselves for possible hurricanes and storms. To date, Red Cross volunteers have reached tens of thousands of people living in makeshift camps through disaster preparedness projects. Volunteers have worked with community residents to help them dig drainage ditches, sandbag hillsides and create evacuation routes. In addition, Red Cross volunteers have provided emergency first aid training, and handed out waterproof bags that contain safety messages and can be used to store and protect important documents.

These efforts have also been bolstered through innovative use of mass media. Millions of SMS text messages have been relayed throughout the country, providing people with simple and accessible information on the steps they can take to minimize their risk from severe weather. Approximately 80 percent of all Haitians have access to cell phones. These important messages have further been relayed through weekly, national radio broadcasts.

Read more about the global Red Cross network’s relief efforts in Haiti.

Cholera response
Preparations for Hurricane Tomas are happening in Haiti at the same time as the Red Cross responds to the country’s first cholera outbreak since 1960. In addition to providing personnel, emergency supplies and other support in the affected regions, the global Red Cross network has also established a cholera treatment centre in Arcahie, just north of Port-au-Prince. Further emergency resources have been called in or put on standby to bolster this response.

Effects of Tomas elsewhere in the Caribbean
The force of Hurricane Tomas was evident over the weekend, when it had a strong impact on Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In Barbados, severe winds caused damage to a number of homes across the island and over 90 percent of Red Cross shelters were opened. Red Cross volunteers and staff are supporting government agencies and response teams have responded by cutting and moving trees in roads. In St. Vincent and the Grenadines approximately 600 homes were damaged and over 1,200 people were displaced. Schools are being used as shelters, and damage assessments are ongoing.