UN sued over cholera epidemic among Haiti’s earthquake survivors

A Hatian woman receives a vaccine for cholera.

Photo by Jon Lascher

A group of human rights lawyers are suing the U.N. on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Haitians who have contracted cholera since the 2010 earthquake. The suit alleges that the cholera pathogen was introduced to Haiti inadvertently by a group of U.N. peacekeepers who traveled to the island from Nepal to provide aid after the earthquake. While the U.N.’s own research has determined that the source of the outbreak was inconclusive, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention traced the outbreak to the U.N. personnel. The U.N. has not commented on the suit.

The U.N. launched a $2.2 billion plan to battle cholera in Haiti in 2012.