MSF - OCG response to Cholera in Haiti

The MSF response to Cholera in Haiti was of extraordinary scope and happened under extremely difficult circumstances: Cholera re-appeared for the first time after 100 years and spread rapidly given the poor humanitarian situation in the country. While all MSF sections were involved in the response, this evaluation covers the intervention of the Operational Centre Geneva (OCG) between October 2010 and February 2011. The intervention is judged very successful: Innovative approaches were applied for the management of Cholera in pregnant women, for decentralised care in remote rural areas and for the treatment of excreta in treatment facilities. Social mobilisation was the key for rapid intervention and scale up. MSF had an important technical lead role in the nation-wide Cholera response. One of the main recommendations is on the need for MSF to move beyond its mainly curative response to more effectively prevent the spread of an epidemic.