The Jamaican authorities, we hope and expect, will be taking all necessary precautions against the deadly cholera disease reaching the island from Haiti, knowing that many people fleeing that imperilled country frequently end up on our shores.

Yet, even as we fret about the cholera flare-up in our French-speaking neighbour, let us not lose focus on the tragic circumstances that continue to render Haiti a failed State and a shame on the global family.

Eight Haitians died from cholera in recent days and dozens more have been treated, jogging memories of the cholera outbreak a little over a decade ago which claimed the lives of 10,000 people.

Has there ever been a country as unfortunate as Haiti? Lurching from one crisis to the next, the people of that nation are now in a situation that appears to be beyond the point of no return, with gangs seemingly in charge of the country.

We were among those who cheered on poultry giants, Jamaica Broilers Group (JBG), 12 years ago, when it entered Haiti, and so we were saddened to hear the recent announcement that JBG has had to pull up stumps there.

JBG was clearly left with no options after the Haitian subsidiary recorded a 44 per cent drop in revenue, to $1.33 billion in financial year 2022, with losses skyrocketing to $364.51 million, up from $6.91 million.

From an already dreadful situation, life in Haiti took a turn for the worse last month after Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced he would eliminate fuel subsidies, causing prices to double.

Protesters and armed gangs, who have been running amok for the longest time, blocked roads, with Haiti’s most powerful gang digging trenches to block access to the country’s largest fuel terminal and calling for Mr Henry’s resignation, as well as a rollback of fuel and basic prices.

As the violence rages, parents are afraid to send their children to school; fuel and clean water are scarce; hospitals, banks and grocery stores are struggling to stay open. Many gas stations are closed, and others are quickly running out of supplies, almost crippling public transportation.

In mid-September, France and Spain closed their embassies, as protesters attacked businesses, the homes of well-known politicians, and even warehouses of the United Nations’ World Food Programme, stealing millions of dollars worth of food and water.

The UN estimates that gangs control roughly 40 per cent of the capital Port-au-Prince and are fighting to control even more territory, killing hundreds of Haitians — including women and children — and driving away some 20,000 people from their homes. Kidnappings have spiked.

The Associated Press quoted Mr Alex Dupuy, a Haitian-born sociologist at Wesleyan University, as saying: “Haiti is now in complete chaos. You have gangs basically doing whatever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want, with complete impunity because the police force is not capable of bringing them under control.”

Mr Henry pledged to hold elections as soon as it’s safe to do so, telling the UN in a speech delivered on his behalf that: “My country is going through a multidimensional crisis whose consequences threaten democracy and the very foundations of the rule of law.”

Unfortunately, the Jamaican adage “Bad luck worse than obeah” comes to mind each time we think about the misfortunes of our sister Caribbean country.

Hopefully, the Western countries will open their hearts to fleeing Haitians, similar to what they have done for the Ukrainians at war with Russia.