The United Nations is considering setting up an international scientific panel to investigate the source of cholera in Haiti.
“We are calling for an international panel and we are in discussions with WHO (World Health Organization) to find the best experts to be in a panel, completely independent… [and] have the best investigation on the source of the outbreak,” according to U.N. Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy.
Haitians blame Nepalese troops from the U.N. peacekeeping mission for bringing the cholera epidemic in the quake-hit nation.
>> Aid Operations Create Unwanted Effects in Haiti
The Inter-American Development Bank and Spanish government are providing a total of USD20 million in emergency grants to help combat Haiti’s cholera epidemic.
The grants, which will be managed by the Haitian Ministry of Public Health, will help to establish a network of 2,000 oral rehydration posts, 190 cholera treatment units and 10 cholera treatment centers.
Meantime, the World Bank is helping to revitalize the Haitian credit market. The bank is supporting a partial credit guarantee program to help local banks and cooperatives restructure the loans of borrowers affected by the earthquake.
