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Haiti

Medical Teams International Responds to Cholera Outbreak in Haiti

(PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 22, 2010) Medical Teams International is rushing emergency shipments of cholera kits today to help save lives in Haiti, where more than 150 people have already died in the cholera outbreak.

A medical team of eight nurses from Washington State, assembled by North Shore Baptist Church, Bothell, WA, is leaving today to join other volunteer medical workers on the scene.

The cholera outbreak was confirmed near Saint Marc, just north of Port-au-Prince, where farmers raise rice. This is the first known epidemic since the January 12, 2010, earthquake which killed more than 250,000 people. As of today, more than 150 people have died and thousands more are ill.

The shipment of medications provided by Medical Teams International on Friday is in addition to cholera kits the organization sent to Haiti over the past five months to for this emergency.

Our staff in Haiti are working hard to care for those who are sick and to prevent the transmission of this deadly disease to others. In addition to sending volunteer medical workers from the U.S. we are also mobilizing volunteers on the ground in Haiti and working with many local partners who are responding to this emergency.

To give to Medical Teams Disaster Fund, go to www.medicalteams.org. Your gift will help us respond to ongoing emergencies like this one happening in Haiti now.

Author: Megan Streng