World Bank gives $15 million to fight Haiti cholera

The World Bank announced a $15 million grant to Haiti to fight a persistent cholera epidemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 3,700 people since October.

The funds, said the organisation in statement, will go towards public campaigns to prevent infection and increase the capacity of Haiti's health ministry to deal with the emergency.

The World Bank approved an extra $5 million grant to go with $10 million first pledged in October to make a total donation of $15 million to combat the health crisis, the statement said.

After the January 2010 earthquake, the World Bank Group committed 479 million dollars to the first 24 months of reconstruction, the body said, adding that a year later two thirds of the pledge has been delivered.

Haiti's cholera death toll has risen to 3,838, according to government figures, in what is a persistent but apparently declining daily death toll.

The figure marks the total since the outbreak was first discovered in mid-October up to January 11. Total infections rose to 188,967 in Haiti, including 105,827 people who have been treated in hospital. (Sapa/ January 2011)

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