A total of 501 cholera deaths were registered in Haiti by Sunday, the country's health ministry reported.
At least 7,359 people are believed to have been infected with Vibrio cholerae, which is thought to originate in South Asia and was presumably brought in by peacekeepers from Nepal. The disease was detected in half of the country's ten regions, with north provinces being the hardest hit.
The humanitarian situation in Haiti, which still struggles to cope with aftermath of the devastating earthquake, was further aggravated as drinking water supply systems were badly damaged by Tropical Storm Tomas in early November.
Almost 1.3 million of the country's residents have been living in tent camps since the deadly earthquake killed 250,000 people this January. The disaster leveled most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and caused significant destruction in other parts of the impoverished country.
Cholera is a bacterial infection that spreads through contaminated water, causing severe diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to the dehydration and death within hours.
BUENOS AIRES, November 7 (RIA Novosti)
