Marc Antoine Withney is the principal and main teacher at the Salen Mixed Instruction Center, an elementary school in one poorest neighborhoods of Port-of-Prince, Haiti’s capital. Like the small houses surrounding it, the school was severely affected by the January 2010 earthquake. But two years after the disaster, the 35-year-old Haitian was able–through his own efforts and with international help–to partially reconstruct his little school, restoring hope and opportunities to learn to more than 400 children living nearby. Read More

With the start of Vaccination Week in the Americas, Haiti launched this April 21 intensive vaccination activities to protect children against diseases like polio, measles and rubella among others. This event was held with the support of national health authorities and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, with the participation of GAVI and other international organizations. More information.

As it was the case ten years ago, Haiti is today home to one of the launches of the tenth Vaccination Week in the Americas and the first World Immunization Week. The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Mirta Roses, and representatives of other international agencies and health-related and Haitian authorities are holding this event today in Port au Prince.

The ministers of health of Haiti (Dr. Florence Guillaume) and the Dominican Republic (Dr. Bautista Rojas) reaffirmed their governments’ commitment to carry out joint efforts to eliminate cholera from the island of Hispaniola over the next 10 years. Read More

Dr. Jon Andrus, Deputy Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), appeared at the U.S. Capitol on 24 January to brief members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Haiti Advocacy Working Group on the recent Call to Action for a Cholera-Free Hispaniola, sponsored by PAHO/WHO, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and UNICEF, in conjunction with the governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

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Moving from cholera control to cholera elimination through essential investments in water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure

One of the largest cholera epidemics in modern history began in the Center and Artibonite Departments of Haiti in October 2010, just 10 months after the devastating earthquake of January 2010. Within 1 month, cholera had spread throughout Haiti and cases were being reported by its neighbor in the Dominican Republic.

The 2-year anniversary of the earthquake is a time for the international community to call a halt to cholera and focus on short and long-term actions to help the people of Haiti and the Dominican Republic fight this scourge. Our goal is to ensure that cholera does not remain endemic in Hispaniola.