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The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) is making a contribution to combating the cholera epidemic in Haiti. Two experts from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) will support the national directorate for water supply and sanitation, DINEPA, in analyzing drinking water in rural areas and checking it for contamination by fecal bacteria. Both experts will therefore be involved in tackling the causes of the outbreak: contaminated water is one of the primary causes of the transmission of cholera.
They are equipped with a mobile water-testing laboratory and with equipment to produce chlorine for disinfecting water. The goal is to ensure there is a secure source of water in every community that is checked, and consequently to prevent the disease from spreading any further.
The two drinking water experts will leave for Haiti on 28 October, and they are expected to remain there for three weeks. The need for SHA involvement was discussed in advance with the local authorities and the United Nations (UNICEF).
Further information:
Address for enquiries:
Information FDFA
Bundeshaus West
CH-3003 Bern
Tel.: (+41) 031 322 31 53
Fax: (+41) 031 324 90 47
E-Mail: info@eda.admin.ch