Haiti - Cholera Epidemic : UN appoints four experts responsible for the investigation
By announcing his intention to appoint an independent panel of experts last month, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, had underlined there are several theories on the origins of the cholera outbreak in Haiti. All reports don't have reached the same conclusion. Minustah and the Government of Haiti have conducted a number of tests. All so far have been negative. But he also acknowledged that it "remain fair questions and legitimate concerns that demands the best answer that science can provide".
Yesterday Thursday, Ban Ki-moon, released the composition of the panel who will be responsible for determining the source of the cholera epidemic in Haiti. The panel will be chaired by Alejandro Cravioto of Mexico, from the International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh. The other three members are Claudio Lanata of the Instituto de Investigacion Nutritional in Peru, Daniele Lantagne of Harvard University in the United States, and Balakrish Nair of the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases in India.
"The panel will seek to determine the source of the 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti. They will review all of the information and data available to date and travel to Haiti to conduct investigations on the ground. The panel will operate completely independently from the United Nations and will have access to all UN records, reports, facilities, and staff members as required." stressed the Secretary General. "The members of the panel have been selected based on their global stature, expertise and extensive experience working with cholera in all its aspects."
Ban Ki-moon has always "been deeply concerned by the cholera outbreak in Haiti since the first cases were detected", said his spokesman "Determining the source of the cholera outbreak is important for both the United Nations and the people of Haiti" he added.
