| ■ Did U.N. Peacekeepers Trigger Haiti Cholera Outbreak? | 2010.11.07 |
| The cholera outbreak in Haiti that has killed at least 442 people may have been caused by United Nations peacekeepers, according to experts. The outbreak involves a strain of cholera that matches strains found in South Asia, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the CDC, the United Nations and the World Health Organization claim it's not possible to pinpoint the source of the outbreak and further attempts to do so would harm efforts to combat the outbreak, the Associated Press reported. But experts say determining the source of the outbreak is possible and important in order to prevent future deaths. The strain of cholera in the Haiti outbreak is a new, virulent strain previously not seen in the Western Hemisphere, according to cholera expert John Mekalanos, chairman of the microbiology department at Harvard University. |