4.9m people might face hunger crisis in Haiti in 2023-- WHO

Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, D-G, WHO

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that in Haiti, the humanitarian situation has been deteriorating, where recent torrential rain, flooding and earthquakes have added to a toxic mix of poverty, hunger, violence and disease. 

According to Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO, 4.9 million people, almost half the population, are expected to face crisis levels of hunger this year. 

With armed gangs controlling large areas, insecurity in parts of the country have reached levels comparable to countries at war. 

Hundreds have been killed in the violence, and rape and other forms of sexual violence are rampant. 

Hunger and disease go hand-in-hand. The cholera outbreak, which began in October last year, continues to simmer, with more than 45 thousand cases and 700 deaths reported. 

Other diseases, such as TB, measles and polio, present an active risk. 

Essential health services such as routine immunization for children have been severely disrupted. In 2021, only 41% of children had been fully immunized against measles , and we expect that number to be even lower now. 

Children are particularly at risk of the deadly combination of hunger and disease. Severely malnourished children are many times more likely to die of diseases like cholera and measles. 

Due to problems of insecurity and violence, patients and health personnel have difficulty accessing hospitals and health services, while health facilities are unable to function normally due to fuel shortages. 

WHO is working to address the immediate needs of the population in areas affected by the resurgence of cholera, as well as protecting the most vulnerable groups impacted by violence, insecurity and rising poverty levels. 

Ghebreyesus concluded that WHO has asked for 37 million U.S. dollars to reach 1.8 million of those in need in 2023. 

Speaking further, he said Haiti was far from the only country where health is imperilled by a lack of access to electricity, or to sources of clean energy.

 

A new report this week showed that globally, 675 million people still lack access to electricity, most of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Meanwhile, 2.3 billion people globally – more than 1 in 4 – use polluting fuels for cooking, leading to millions of deaths each year. 

This puts women and children particularly at greater risk of chronic diseases, while also contributing to climate change and perpetuating gender inequity. 

Cooking with solid fuels such as wood, charcoal, coal, crop waste and kerosene is a huge health burden for more than a quarter of the world’s population, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.  

WHO is supporting countries to integrate clean cooking into broader energy planning, improving affordability, and devising better delivery mechanisms. 

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