U.N. Pleads for More Money

The cholera epidemic in Haiti threatens to outrun all aid efforts unless new funds are provided, U.N. spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs says. The disease has infected at least 11,125 people and killed 724, 80 of them in the last 24 hours. Stefano Zannini, head of the mission for Medecins Sans Frontieres in Haiti, said that hospitals are overflowing, and that if cases continue to increase at the same rate, “We are going to have to use public spaces and even streets.” The World Health Organization projects 200,000 cases over the next six to 12 months, and spokesman Gregory Hartl says the fatality rate of 6.5 percent is far higher than it should be. The U.N. is asking for $164 million. Seven months after it was promised, $120 million is on its way from the U.S.—about a tenth of the total amount the country pledged.