Averting Cholera Cases and Deaths in Haiti

Projected cholera cases and deaths in 2011 could be reduced with a combination of interventions, including clean water, vaccination, and expanded access to antibiotics.

Cholera appeared in postearthquake Haiti in October 2010 and has spread to all provinces. To estimate the effects of specific interventions, investigators constructed a mathematical model of cholera transmission based on existing models and then calibrated it to data from the Haitian epidemic.

The model included symptomatic and asymptomatic infections and excretion of Vibrio cholerae. It simulated the effect of interventions on projected cases and deaths. The interventions consisted of clean water projects, vaccination (estimated to protect 67% of recipients for 2 years), and expanded use of antibiotics (which are assumed to decrease duration and quantity of bacterial shedding).

According to the model, if the current approach remains unchange…

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine