13 pct of Haitians need humanitarian assistance after deadly hurricane: UN

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned Tuesday that 1.4 million Haitians were in need of humanitarian aid, including cholera vaccines, following the passage of Hurricane Matthew last week.

"The top priority clearly for those people affected by the hurricane is to give them access to safe water," World Health Organisation (WHO) cholera expert Dominique Legros told press here.

"That's the only way we can control cholera in the long term in Haiti and elsewhere," he added.

The official revealed that WHO took the decision Monday to send a million doses of cholera vaccine to the Caribbean nation, whose cholera epidemic has yet to be eradicated since its outbreak in 2010.

Pending discussions with partners and the Haitian government, these would be used either in a single dose campaign or the classic double dose strategy.

While offering longer protection, the double dose plan would only protect 500,000 people from the water-borne disease, Legros explained.

So far, 150 suspected cases of cholera have been reported in the Grand'Anse department, with a further 50 in the South department.

"It is more than usual... it's a sharp increase compared to usual figures," Legros cautioned. Endit