Direct Relief has dispatched this afternoon a shipment of critically needed medical aid to Haiti in response to the cholera outbreak there. Valued at more than $60,000 (wholesale), the consignment includes more than eight tons of material, including antibiotics to treat the infection and IV supplies.

Facilities in the St. Marc area are overwhelmed with cholera patients; Partners in Health reports that its facility in St. Marc is treating 1,600 people alone. With new cases appearing near Port-au-Prince, prevention is also critical. Direct Relief also dispatched 400 hygiene kits today from our warehouse in Haiti, which are being sent to St. Marc tonight to help improve personal sanitation and prevent the spread of cholera.

Dr. Georges Dubuche, of Management Sciences for Health, described the outbreak as a “terrible situation that threatens the nation.”

Direct Relief is scaling its infusion of emergency medical aid to treat approximately 10,000 people, and is collaborating with governmental and nongovernmental agencies to assist in the response. Haiti’s Director of Pharmacy, Mrs. Flaurine Joseph, has extended a request for Direct Relief’s assistance in responding to the outbreak. Mrs. Joseph visited Direct Relief’s headquarters earlier this year to learn about and observe the tight controls on pharmaceuticals and other medical aid we provide.