Thomas

This past weekend hurricane Thomas passed over Hispaniola causing flooding in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic. The first rains started at the beginning of the week and slowly increased as the week went on. By Friday, schools had canceled classes and the rains were coming down quite steadily. The rains continued throughout the weekend, and even this past Sunday it was still raining.

The flooding in Haiti has increased the fear that the cholera will spread. Health officials hope to keep the cholera epidemic from spreading to this side of the island, but with the flooding caused by the hurricane, the fear has increased that the original source of the cholera bacteria will now be swept over much greater areas of Haiti. There have been some reported cases in Port au Prince, but the greatest fear is that it will get into the "tent cities" and cause many more deaths. There have not been any confirmed cases of cholera in the DR so far. Now, the debate has become: can cholera be kept out of the DR - or if it is just a matter of time?

In an effort to keep the cholera from entering the DR, the border has been closed for the past week. Even "healthy" people are not allowed to cross since a person can carry the bacteria for up to a week without showing symptoms of the disease. There has been no word as to when the border might be re-opened.

photos from Listin Diario