The cholera outbreak in Haiti has spread across its border into the Dominican Republic as the death toll in the country continue to climb.
The Dominican Republic has issued a maximum health alert to prevent the spread of the disease. Meanwhile, the second largest city in Haiti is facing violence and chaos as medical personnel struggle to treat the sick and dying.
The cholera outbreak has now claimed 1,110 lives in Haiti with another 18,323 hospitalized for the illness. Medical personnel say that the numbers of those infected and being treated continues to rise each day.
In the city of Cap Haitien, demonstrators are making it hard for the ill to be treated properly. They are accusing the U.N. peacekeepers of starting the outbreak and are reacting with violence. Residents are constructing burning barricades and will hide and pelt vehicles that travel along the roads.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) has said that in one location in the city over 200 new patients arrived overnight. The numbers do not accurately reflect the number of those affected though. The protestors are stopping people from traveling in vehicles and this prevents many from reaching treatment centers.
Aid agencies have suspended projects to deliver supplies and education to areas affected by the outbreak due to the violence. Many flights carrying much needed supplies have been canceled.
The U.N. has 10,000 peacekeepers deployed in Haiti and has vehemently denied the allegations that Nepalese peacekeepers introduced the bacteria to the country.
Doctors are treating people with minimal supplies and are now also left to treat victims of the violence. Many are showing up with gunshot wounds and other injuries.
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