Press Release: President Clinton Launches National Cholera Education and Awareness Campaign in Haiti

New York, NY — Today in Port-au-Prince, President Bill Clinton announced the launch of a new Clinton Foundation effort in Haiti, the National Cholera Education and Awareness Campaign, “Lavi san Kolera,” (“Life Without Cholera”). Building on November’s commitment of $1.5 million to the Haitian Ministry of Health for cholera prevention, the new project will use $500,000 of this funding to work in consultation with the Haitian Ministry of Health and local health, non-governmental, and private organizations to help foster awareness for both the prevention and treatment of cholera.

Cholera, a disease most often spread through the ingestion of contaminated food or drinking water, is a potentially fatal infection that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration. An epidemic strain caused the first cholera outbreak in at least 100 years, has been confirmed in Haiti. The Cholera Education and Awareness Campaign’s tagline, “If I had known,” will appear in TV, radio, and print advertisements across the country. These advertisements will focus on fostering behavioral changes, such as proper hand washing and drinking clean water, as well as educating the public on treatment methods, in order to prevent the infection and spread of cholera.

The Clinton Foundation will launch the campaign’s first advertisements in one week, in anticipation of the approaching rainy season, which brings complications in regards to sanitation and the spread of disease. Informational booklets will be distributed to the Health Association, schools, the Scouts Association and other social and governmental organizations in the hopes of fostering critical awareness about cholera, especially among children, women, and the elderly.

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