Global Voices Information Sheet

Haiti – Cholera Epidemic

Courtesy of www.bbc.co.uk

Cholera

 Cholera is an intestinal infection caused by the bacterium, Vibrio cholerae, and

transmitted through contaminated supplies of food and drinking water.
 An outbreak of cholera can spread quickly in areas with poor sanitation and tainted
drinking water supplies, and usually through the faeces of patients.
 Symptoms include severe diarrhea and vomiting, and children and the elderly are
vulnerable to dehydration as well. Once a person is infected with cholera, the bacteria
can stay in their faeces for up to two weeks.
 Cholera is usually treated with antibiotics, although in severe dehydration cases patients
may need intravenous fluids.
Cholera in Haiti

 Ten months after the earthquake in Haiti, the country is now struggling to recover from an
outbreak of cholera.
 Since October, when the disease was first detected, the Haitian government has
confirmed that more than 15,00 people have died. At the moment, Haiti is facing a
shortage of nurses and doctors, and necessary supplies to stem the epidemic.
 Nearly 28,000 people have been treated in hospital with cholera symptoms, and the
epidemic is spreading twice as fast as had been estimated.
 The United Nations has appealed for $164 million in aid to help Haiti combat the
outbreak. In response, the World Bank has announced a grant of $10 million in
emergency aid to Haiti.
Key Terms

 microorganism – an organism that is too small to be seen by the unaided eye

 epidemic – a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease that affects a large number of
people at the same time
 contamination – introduction of an infectious organism, such as a bacterium or virus,
into food or water, which may then pass to a person
 antibiotics – a drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other
microorganisms
 sanitation – the process of keeping drinking water, foods, or anything else with which
people come into contact, free of microorganisms such as bacteria
Global Voices Secondary Educator Resources

Note to Educators:
The following activities are designed to stimulate a current events discussion. Generative in nature,
these questions can be a launching point for additional assignments or research projects.
Teachers are encouraged to adapt these activities to meet the contextual needs of their classroom.

In some cases, reading the article with students may be appropriate, coupled with reviewing the
information sheet to further explore the concepts and contexts being discussed. From here, teachers
can select from the questions provided below. Activities are structured to introduce students to the
issues, then allow them to explore and apply their learnings. Extension and conclusion activities are
included to challenge students and finally, encourage them to reflect on the issues at hand.

Since these activities are designed as discussions rather than formal lessons, assessment strategies
are not included.

Themes and Course Connections

 Haiti, development, community, solidarity, sustainability, poverty, culture, natural
disasters, human needs, current events, rehabilitation, and change
 Curriculum Connections: Geography, the Arts, Canadian and World Studies, English,
Social Sciences and Humanities, Health and Physical Education

Materials
 Blackboard
 Chart paper
 Computers and internet
 Global Voices column

Specific Expectations and Learning Goals

Students will:
 Develop and express appropriate responses to issues and problems.
 Reassess their responses to issues on the basis of new information.
 Demonstrate appropriate research skills by compiling a range of data from a wide variety
of print and electronic resources.
 Participate in active group work and class discussions.
 Communicate effectively in written and spoken language or other forms of expression.
 Demonstrate the ability to think critically.
 Develop, express, and defend a position on an issue and explain how to put the ideas
into action.

Knowledge and Understanding:

1. Introducing Haiti (estimated time: 15 minutes)
a. Hang seven sheets of chart paper around the classroom. On each sheet write
one of the following titles: international aid, natural disaster, cholera, poverty,
infrastructure, government, development and sustainability.

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 b. Have students collect a writing utensil and rotate through the seven topics. Under
each heading they must write things they know about the topic as well as
questions they may have.
c. When they are finished circulating, read the comments aloud, identify common
themes and clarify any confusion.
d. Conduct a brainstorm around how these topics relate to each other.
e. Explain that all of these topics are key issues plaguing the country of Haiti today.
Ask students to address the topics in the context of Haiti, exploring their
background knowledge on this subject.

Thinking
1. Read the Global Voices column independently. (estimated time: 15 minutes)
a. Reflection:
i. Ask students to record point form notes in response to the article.
ii. Ask students to record 5 questions that they are unsure of from their
initial reading of the article.
b. Discuss the column as a class, ask:
i. What are the main points of the article?
ii. What emotions did this article provoke in you?
iii. What is the nature of the problem that’s identified?

Communication
1. Media Literacy (estimated time: 15 minutes)
a. Ask students to practice their media literacy skills by working independently to
identify the following:
i. Title: include the full title of the article (also called the headline).
ii. Author: give the author's full name; if there is no author given, indicate if
the article is an editorial or from a foreign news source.
iii. Newspaper: the full name of the newspaper from which the article is
taken.
iv. Date: the day the article appeared in the newspaper
v. Subject: the overall topic that the article is describing.
vi. Event: what event led to the writing of the article?
vii. Main idea: identify what the article is proving or arguing about the issue.
Is it trying to convince readers to take a side? If so what opinion is it
encouraging?
viii. Evidence: list several facts/arguments that support the main idea and
help to convince the reader or inform them of the issue. Does the author
provide enough factual material to support his/her ideas?
ix. Significance: explain why this issue is important and whom it may affect.
x. Point of view: is the article, in your opinion, true, balanced or biased? Are
different viewpoints presented? Whose opinion is missing?
b. When this is complete, bring the class back together and discuss student
answers.

2. Cholera (estimated time: one hour)

a. Ask students to recall a recent event that has put Haiti in the media spotlight.
b. Ask students to research the answers to six questions about the cholera
outbreak in Haiti (Teacher Note: Students will require access to the internet for
this activity):
i. What is cholera and what are its symptoms?
ii. Where in Haiti is the cholera outbreak now and how do health experts
fear it will develop?

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 iii. Why do international health authorities caution against premature
optimism that the epidemic could be stabilizing?
iv. How is the nation coping with the epidemic?
How can cholera be treated?
v. Who is being sheltered in the tent and tarp camps in Port-au-Prince?
vi. When was the earthquake in Haiti that left these people displaced?

Application
1. Country Profile (estimated time: continuous project)
a. Hold a discussion about whether it is important to understand Haiti’s past before
focusing on rehabilitation in the present.
b. When this discussion is complete, explain to students that they are going to work
on an independent project. This project will involve creating a profile of Haiti,
before analyzing the data collected in order to understand the country’s history.
c. The country profile will consist of three parts:
i. Part 1: Timeline
- Timeline must run from the time Haiti was discovered until the
present day. This diagram must include: date, event and
significance.
ii. Part 2: General information
- Geography: location, climate, terrain, natural resources, land
use, natural hazards, environmental issues and urbanization.
- People: nationality, religions, languages, literacy rate, population,
population growth rate, birth rate, death rate, infant mortality rate,
and HIV/AIDS prevalence.
- Government: government type, capital city, independence.
- Socio-economic: GDP, unemployment rate, urbanization,
population below poverty line, imports, exports and debt.
iii. Part 3: Analysis
- Using this acquired data, students must analyze the state of Haiti
prior to the earthquake and identify why the effects of the
earthquake were so vast and severe.
d. When students have completed their project, hold a discussion around their
findings before collecting their projects for grading.

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Additional Resources
In addition to the above lesson plans, you may want to share some additional resources with your
students. Listed below are some links to useful online resources:

 Free The Children in Haiti http://www.freethechildren.com/donate/haiti-earthquake-relief-

fund/
 Adopt-A-Village in Haiti
http://www.freethechildren.com/whatwedo/international/countries/haiti/
 Craig’s Haiti Blog:
- Crisis in Haiti written January 17, 2010
- Haitians are True Heroes written January 18, 2010
- The Voice of Haiti written January 19, 2010
- A Network of Hope written January 19, 2010
- The Road to Help written January 20, 2010
- Aftershock Causes More Uncertainty written January 20, 2010
- No End in Sight written January 21, 2010
- We Are All Haitian written January 22, 2010
 CIA World Fact Book: Haiti - https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/ha.html
 Partners In Health http://www.pih.org/pages/haiti/
 UNICEF http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/haiti.html

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