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

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Nov. 29, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

SOURCE American Red Cross