We’ve all heard about the earthquake that decimated Haiti in January 2010, most of us heard about the cholera outbreak that followed in October. Everyone has heard about these tragic events in Haiti, and we all know that Haitians aren’t doing too hot right now, but what sort of condition might the country be in if the common people in the developed world hadn’t heard of their troubles at all? Without media coverage of these tragedies, there would be no public awareness, therefore no push for government intervention and no support for private aid organizations such as the Red Cross. While international aid is often exploited, such as the case in Sierra Leone highlighted by Gouevitch’s, “Alms Dealers,” there do not appear to be any groups in Haiti reaping benefits from international aid beyond basic needs. Media coverage encourages public awareness, sparking humanitarian aid as a result.
It has been suggested that UN peacekeeping missions brought the cholera to Haiti. Before this outbreak, there had never been a confirmed case of Cholera in Haiti. “In March, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention said cholera was "extremely unlikely to occur" in Haiti. There were no cholera bacteria there. Most foreigners were relief workers with good sanitation who come from countries where cholera is not an issue.” (Stobbe, 2010) Tests show that the strain of cholera found in Haiti matches an Asian strain of cholera. Many speculate that the Cholera came from Nepal, where 454 UN Peacekeepers are stationed at the base of a river near a community that had a recent cholera outbreak. Yes, it is likely true that there would have been no cholera in Haiti had the UN never been there, but the deaths caused by other factors would have been much higher had there not been for international humanitarian efforts. The UN provided medical care, food and shelter immediately following the earthquake and has continued to provide aid to Haiti in the months since.
At first, the UN tried to keep the Cholera outbreak hush-hush; “The mounting circumstantial evidence that U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal brought cholera to Haiti was largely dismissed by U.N. officials” (Stobbe, 2010). However, once the disease started to spread, it got more media coverage, riots broke out and the UN was forced to take action. This is a perfect example of how media coverage is helpful to the situation in Haiti. Had there been no media coverage of the outbreak, the UN would have been able to simply sweep the situation under the rug. However, now they must take responsibility for the incident. Officials must ask questions like: Did the UN really cause this outbreak? and How can future outbreaks be prevented? Brian Concannon, director of the institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti told the Associated Press, "If the U.N. had said from the beginning, 'We're going to look into this' ... I think that, in fact, would have been the best way in reducing public anger. The way to contribute to public anger is to lie."
The bottom line is, Haiti would not have stood a chance after the earthquake had it not been for international humanitarian aid. The root of Haiti’s problems lie in it’s system of government, the inner-workings of which need some serious help; however, people cannot make progress unless their basic needs are met. Humanitarian efforts from organizations such as the United Nations make sure these needs are met, media coverage brings the problems with humanitarian aid into the public eye, keeping these organizations in check, therefore preventing the abuse of humanitarian aid.
Works Cited:
Harmon , K. (2010, October 25). Why is Cholera Spreading in Haiti Now?. Scientific American, Retrieved from http:// www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=cholera-outbreak- haiti
Stobbe, M. (2010, November 19). Un worries its troops caused cholera in haiti. Fox World News: Associated Press, Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/11/19/worries- troops-caused-cholera-haiti/
