Heavy rains may worsen health situation in south Haiti

Heavy rains in Jeremie, a major town in south Haiti, may result in a further deterioration of sanitary conditions in the area, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here Thursday.

That will likely aggravate the health situation there as the UN and its humanitarian partners are continuing humanitarian assistance in the small island country, which was devastated by Hurricane Matthew earlier this month, the spokesman said.

Jeremie is the worst-hit town in Haiti after Hurricane Matthew slammed into Haiti on Oct. 4, with some 90 percent of the town reportedly destroyed. Cholera outbreak was reported in Haiti after the hurricane slammed into the Caribbean country.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that humanitarian partners continued to deliver critical assistance in Les Cayes, Dujarric said at a daily news briefing.

On Wednesday, the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed additional food to affected families with further distributions planned this week, he said. "Access to remote communities continues to be a challenge but is improving."

The UN and its humanitarian partners visited a remote village, Randell, on Wednesday, he said. "They brought medical kits while assessing their immediate humanitarian needs."

"More items, such as hygiene kits, buckets and essential drugs will be delivered again today," he said.

The WFP has so far provided food assistance to 77,000 people in the most affected departments and transported well over 2,000 MT of food to Les Cayes and Jeremie, he said.

The UN Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) also continues to support the response to Hurricane Matthew, he said. "MINUSTAH is increasing its deployment of engineering assets in the southeast between Port au Prince, Belle Anse and Grand Gosier to maintain roads and conduct assessments in remote areas."

The UN mission has also enhanced its engineer capacity to improve logistical support to the base in Les Cayes, a major hub for the hurricane response, he said.

"The mission notes that with access to remote areas now possible by sea, cargo ships are carrying aid and assistance to areas not accessible by roads."

MINUSTAH, in agreement with and in support of the Haitian authorities, stands ready to secure the unloading of relief items upon request, he said.

Hurricane Matthew killed more than 1,000 people in Haiti when it struck two weeks ago, leaving more than 175,000 without homes, and more than a million more struggling to survive in what UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called "absolute devastation."

The UN estimates at least 1.4 million Haitians are now in need of urgent assistance as clean water, food, and medicine are in short supply, and an ongoing cholera epidemic threatens to worsen and spread after dozens of cholera treatment centers were destroyed. Endit