Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-11-22-Speech-1-090"
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"en.20101122.15.1-090"2
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"Mr President, the Commission is deeply concerned by the deterioration of the cholera situation in Haiti.
After the recent incidents related to civil unrest in Cap Haitien and Port-au-Prince, we are following closely the security situation with our partners and the relevant UN agencies, particularly ahead of the presidential elections of 28 November.
The Commission was in touch with the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordination, Baroness Amos. We fully support her in stressing the importance of allowing national and international aid workers to continue lifesaving activities without disruption.
Considering the serious and rapid deterioration of the cholera situation, further contributions are urgently required to fill gaps in health, water, sanitation, hygiene and logistics. Priorities include medical personnel and other personnel specialised in water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as medical supplies, beds, water purification units and tablets. The Commission is therefore in contact with the Belgian Presidency and the Member States to encourage further EU support to help Haiti at this very critical and difficult time. EU support can be channelled through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
The endless efforts of Haitian and international aid workers to meet the current challenges on the ground are commendable, but it is clear that the sheer scale of the crisis requires even more assets and resources. We are therefore now working hard on stepping up our emergency response together with our partners, but difficult times are certainly ahead, due to the rapidly evolving situation.
The continued solidarity of the international community with the Haitian people remains absolutely essential. This is why I call upon you all to do your utmost to scale up the support of the Member States in order to avoid a major humanitarian disaster.
The number of casualties among the hospitalised cases is increasing sharply day by day. The number of people admitted to hospitals comes to more than 20 000. At the end of last week, more than 1 100 people had already lost their lives. But it is feared that these figures are severely underestimated. The fatality rate is very high and shows that people arrive too late at health centres.
Cholera treatment is simple, but early access to treatment is key to limiting fatalities. Treating cholera patients also requires considerable human resources. The Haitian public health system is now seriously overstretched, despite substantial support from the international community.
Médecins sans Frontières, as one of the front-line medical actors, is calling on all groups and agencies present in Haiti to step up the size and speed of their efforts.
The whole country is now affected. The epidemic is spreading at an alarming rate in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Slums such as Cité Soleil are especially prone to contagion due to very bad hygiene conditions and poor access to clean water.
We are focusing on saving lives through prompt treatment of those affected, increasing access to clean water, promoting better hygiene behaviour and supporting epidemiological surveillance in order to know where and how the epidemic is evolving.
The Commission has reinforced its humanitarian presence with relevant medical expertise and mobilised funds – EUR 12 million – to support partners in Haiti.
The European mechanism for civil protection has also been activated through the Monitoring and Information centre of the European Commission and has already cofinanced the transport of in-kind assistance provided by France.
Another offer from Austria has just entered the pipeline. An EU civil protection and technical support team with Member States’ experts is to be deployed early this week. Experts from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have been deployed by DG SANCO to assess the best way to reinforce epidemiological surveillance in Haiti, and further cooperation is under consideration."@en1
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