- Conference
- 2011 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 14 January 2011
- Decision
- Carried
A devastating earthquake, the worst in 200 years, struck Port-au-Prince on the 12th January 2010, laying waste to the city with almost 300,000 people dead in the devastation.
More than a million of our brothers and sisters are living homeless in the densely populated areas of Port-au-Prince and surrounding parts of the country, since the earthquake struck in January, and now the outbreak of Cholera threatens the lives of every individual even further.
The first reports of the cholera outbreak were announced by Health officials on the 26th October, which confirmed that Haiti was suffering its worst epidemic of the disease, since it was eliminated over 30 years ago.
Haiti’s Health ministry has announced a state of emergency, saying the disease poses a threat to the security of the nations entire population of just under 10 million, they urged cities to observe basic hygiene rules, and not drink unpurified water.
But how can Haitians survive without our immediate help, “now it is our duty as world citizens to help solve this problem, which has gone from being an urgent humanitarian matter to the level of national security “said the ministry’s executive director, Dr Gabriel Timothee.
In Haiti, the UN humanitarian chief doctors and nurses across the country are overwhelmed and their efforts were being hampered by dire shortages of necessary supplies, from soap to body bags. “We clearly need to do more” Baroness Amos told Reuters news agency during a visit to the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.
“But it’s not just money, it’s crucially people, in terms of getting more doctors, nurses, more people who can help with the awareness-raising and getting information out there,” she said.
The toll in the cholera epidemic in Haiti has risen to 2,535, the public health ministry said. A total of 114,497 people have been affected by the outbreak, according to the ministry bulletin released on 19th December 2010.
Cholera has spread through all 10 provinces of the country, sickening more than 91,000 people and killing more than 2,000, the deaths occurring as rapidly as two hours after people fall ill, “people can lose as much as one liter of fluid an hour” said Dr Jordan W Tappero, director of the Health System Reconstruction Office.
Haiti’s neighbours to the east, the Dominican Republic, is now reporting cases of cholera in its two largest cities, however the country has better access to sanitary water, so the outbreak maybe more controlled.
With the reports that 41 people die everyday in Haiti, the northwest province of Artibonite has been hit the hardest by cholera epidemic, with 807 dead and rising.
We call on the NBMC to:
1.Raise this very important issue with the NEC and for this to form part of the NBMC work and the mainstream of UNISON international work programme 2011/2012.
2.Work with the NEC to raise this important issue with Labour Link and the Coalition Government and urge the distribution of medical supplies, medical staff and the supply of stockpile vaccines against cholera that could be deployed to Haiti and parts of the world at high risk of the epidemic.
3.Work with all 12 Regional Black Members Committee to co-ordinate a fund raising event on the same day, collecting clothes, blankets, sleeping bags etc, funded centrally by UNISON and send in barrels to Haiti with UNISON logo.
4.Have a further bucket collection at the National Black Members Conference 2011 to send to Haiti through organisations like Oxfam, supporting other emergencies like the Pakistan floods and for this to be matched by the NEC and distributed equally to both Haiti and the Pakistan flood appeal.
Report back to every National Black Members Conference from 2012 on the progress made in Haiti and the National Black Members Committee’s involvement with the NEC on the international efforts being made on delivering this recommendation and support for the Haitian people.