PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, (CMC) – Haiti has confirmed that at least eight people have died from cholera.

The cholera-related fatalities come three weeks after the United Nations (UN) had confirmed an outbreak of the waterborne disease in the French-speaking country. Haiti had not recorded a case of the disease in the last three years.

But the country’s Ministry of Health said the first case was discovered in the Savane Pistache/ Decayette area of Port-au-Prince, while additional suspected cases are being investigated in the Brooklyn neighbourhood of Cité Soleil.

As such, the UN has indicated that the organisation is actively monitoring the outbreak and is collaborating with the government to address the situation.

The UN is also imploring Haitians to take actions to prevent the spread of the disease in the home.

“The United Nations is actively monitoring the situation and is working with the government to mount an emergency response to this potential outbreak, focused not only on limiting the spread of the disease,” the UN said.

“But also on informing the population how to take immediate lifesaving action at the household level,” the UN added.

The UN also cited that additional provisions such as increased water and sanitary supplies will be provided to support the nation’s fight against the waterborne disease.

“Additional support will consist of expanded surveillance, increased water and sanitation provision, the opening of cholera treatment centres and the reinforcement of case management,” the UN said.

In addition to that, the UN said specialized emergency response teams are ready to be deployed to support affected communities.

But the organisation has acknowledged that it may be difficult, given the prevailing socio-political environment where criminal gangs have been staging rival gang warfare and persons have been staging anti-government protests.