CDC warns of difficulty in cholera outbreak

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it is difficult to predict the course of the cholera outbreak in Haiti.



The outbreak has so far claimed more than 1,100 lives and left nearly 20,000 others hospitalised since the water borne disease was first detected in late October.



A new study published by the CDC says the cholera epidemic, the first for more than a century in Haiti, could worsen because of poor sanitation.



The disease centre says a lack of treated drinking water, coupled with poor hand hygiene and food-preparation practices, make the Haitian population, particularly vulnerable.



The current epidemic has now spread to eight of the 10 provinces in Haiti as the authorities appeal for an end to anti-United Nations demonstrations.