The WHO is sounding the alarm.
The toll of the cholera epidemic raging in Haiti will likely be "higher" than the figures announced and the number of cases is expected to increase, the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday.
On Sunday, authorities in Haiti announced the death of at least seven people in the country, the first deaths from this disease in three years.
Many suspected cases have been reported in Carrefour-Feuilles, a suburb of the capital Port-au-Prince, as well as in the town of Cité Soleil.
These areas controlled by gangs have been very difficult to access since the end of July.
Living conditions have deteriorated in Haiti in recent weeks with lockdowns, fuel shortages, protests, looting and strikes.
"This situation greatly complicates the humanitarian response," said WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier.
“The situation is changing rapidly and it is possible that earlier cases have gone undetected,” he added.
A request is being made to the International Coordinating Group for the supply of oral cholera vaccines.
However, the availability of these vaccines remains limited, with demand exceeding supply.
Haiti celebrated the official elimination of cholera last February, the last case having been recorded in 2019. Between 2010 and 2019, a cholera epidemic had caused the death of more than 10,000 people.
It had started when blue helmets had dumped feces into the Artibonite river.
The UN has said it is ready to deploy emergency teams as soon as safe access is guaranteed and fuel supplies are released.
The world is facing a "worrying upsurge" in cholera, fueled by the effects of climate change, the WHO warned on Friday.
During the first nine months of the year, 26 countries reported epidemics, compared to less than 20 per year between 2017 and 2021.
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