The news from Haiti is dire. Zenit news reports thatThe head of the Camillian Mission in Haiti is warning that 200,000 Haitians will die, and 400,000 will be infected with cholera, if the pandemic is not stopped soon.
Cholera is a simple and terrible disease. It's spread by bacteria thanks to poor sanitation. Human wastes infect drinking water, or water used for basic hygiene, which spreads a small amount of infection to a larger population.
In developed countries with modern wastewater treatment systems and drinking water facilities, this disease becomes a story only read about in the news. For too many of our neighbors without basic sanitation, cholera is a painful death sentence, one that may infect them, or those that they love so dearly. The science of all this is clearly understood. More importantly, the charity needed to help our brothers and sisters is equally easy to grasp.
And so let's both learn about the importance of funding our own public water infrastructure, and not complain about its costs, and let's give of our own wealth to help those who so desperately need it as Christmas approaches.
