India contributes USD 100,000 to UN for Haiti cholera relief

United Nations: India has contributed USD 100,000 to a UN trust fund designed to support Haiti in recovering from the ravages of the 2010 Cholera epidemic and building improved sanitation and health systems in the country.

First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Ashish Sinha last week handed over USD 100,000 cheques for the UN Haiti Cholera Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund.

The fund is aimed at supporting the country in overcoming the epidemic and building sound water, sanitation and health systems.

It aims "to significantly improve access to care and treatment in short term and also to address issues of water and sanitation and health systems in long term."

India is the fourth contributor to the Fund, along with France, South Korea and Liechtenstein.

Haiti has been dealing with a cholera outbreak since October 2010, blamed on peacekeepers from Nepal, some nine months after it suffered a devastating earthquake.

The outbreak has affected an estimated 788,000 people and claimed the lives of more than 9,000.

Concerted national and international efforts, backed by the United Nations, have resulted in a 90 per cent reduction in the number of suspected cases.

The then UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had last year apologised to the people of Haiti for the world body's role in failing to properly address the cholera epidemic.

In addition, he had announced a USD 400 million two-track plan to stem the outbreak and provide long-term support for those affected.

Earlier this month, nearly 140 Indian soldiers, who are part of UN peace-keeping force in Haiti, were administered cholera vaccine after landing in the Caribbean country in August last year without the mandatory vaccination.

The UN had said it is the responsibility of the troop-contributing country to ensure their personnel meet all medical requirements for deployment.