GENERAL OVERVIEW

• It is the annual rainy season in Haiti at present. Torrential rains were experienced on 10-13 April, and even heavier rains on 23-25 April, caused flooding in many départements. The Plan National de Gestion des Risques et des Désastres (PNGRD) issued an orange alert for the entire country on 25 April 2012, which was in place for three days. Several organisations conducted joint assessments in various départements. IOs and NGOs, the Red Cross Movement, the Direction de la Protection Civile (DPC) and the Direction Nationale de l'Eau Potable et de l'Assainissement (DINEPA) provided support in some affected areas.

• The number of cholera cases has increased slightly in Haiti over the past few weeks, with frequent rains spreading the bacteria in several areas where health official had it under control. Since the beginning of the epidemic in October 2010, the Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population (MSPP) recorded almost 535,000 cumulative Cholera cases (an increase of roughly 5,000 between mid-March and mid-April) and altogether 7,091 deaths (source: http://www.mspp.gouv.ht, mid-April 2012).

• On 14 April 2012, the MSPP, along with international partners including WHO, launched a vaccination campaign against Cholera, targeting 100,000 people in vulnerable areas. According to Health officials it is a pilot programme that was launched in two areas in the country, but it will be later extended to the rest of the population with a priority for areas at risk. The vaccine will protect for a period of two to three years, with an efficiency rate of about 65 %.

• The Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), a monitoring tool utilised by the Camp Coordination and Camp Management/E-shelter Cluster, indicates that the total number of people living in Internally Displaced Person (IDP) sites is now approx. 421,000.

• The day-to-day operations of the Haitian government have been largely put on hold after Prime Minister Garry Conille resigned in February 2012. Haiti's Senate approved President Martelly's new candidate on 10 April 2012; the nomination of Laurent Lamothe, currently Foreign Affairs minister, still has to be approved by the Chamber of Deputies.