Haiti cholera outbreak linked to peacekeepers, UN admits

[Judi Lynn]

Haiti cholera outbreak linked to peacekeepers, UN admits
Last year's deadly cholera outbreak in Haiti, which killed 4,500 people, was linked to Nepalese UN peacekeepers who were stationed at a base in the country, a UN panel has conceded.
By Jon Swaine, New York 1:21AM BST 05 May 2011

The panel found that “evidence overwhelmingly supports” the conclusion that the epidemic began via the contamination of the Artibonite River near the troops' base, with a south Asian strain of cholera.

In a report published on Wednesday night, it also listed a series of measures that the UN should introduce to ensure its peacekeepers do not introduce cholera to the countries in which they work.

But the panel refused to single out the troops for blame, stating that Haitians – who had recently suffered a devastating earthquake – should not have been using the river for drinking or washing.

The group, convened by Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary-General, insisted the crisis was due to a “confluence of circumstances” and “not the fault of, or deliberate action of, a group or individual”.

More:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/8494066/Haiti-cholera-outbreak-linked-to-peacekeepers-UN-admits.html