Via Haiti: Operational Biosurveillance: More than 65 fatalities now reported from Pestel.
PAHO/WHO's representative just arrived on-site with the tent for the fourth CTC and two trucks of supplies. MSF has now leaned into the response effort, and we have ourselves a large convergence of response. The observation that forecasting and early warning, if used, yield less loss of lives in an emergency setting is proven yet again today in Pestel and surrounding villages.
Direct quote this morning from an HEAS response partner:
As a physician, it's hard to ignore severely ill patients who clinically present like cholera by the hundreds and where over 65 lives were lost already. Even 1 life lost is 1 too many. I understand their need for validity, but isn't it the responsibility of MSPP, PAHO, CDC to rapidly investigate these possible outbreaks and help confirm before they become exponentially worse?
I'm getting access to some of the internal communications of the people involved in Pestel. This does seem like a success for them over the medical bureaucracies of the big NGOs, which have been slow to respond to reports of widespread cholera in Pestel. And I'm hoping Dr. John Carroll, who should be on the ground there, will get in touch with his view of the situation.
