Red Cross uses Text Messages

Cell phone users in the heart of Haiti's cholera outbreak are receiving prevention tips via text message. For example:

Today, for instance, 30,000 cell phone users in the Artibonite district will get this message:

Kwa Wouj: Bwe seròm oral pou ka trete dyare. Yon lit dlo trete, 8 ti kiyè sik, 1/2 ti kiyè sèl.

That means: "Drink ORS (oral rehydration solution) to treat diarrhea. One liter of treated water, 8 teaspoons of sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt."

International Organization for Migration are using cell phones to track people, many of whom could be infected, people who are leaving the Artibonite region where the epidemic first struck. The Red Cross is also visiting people tent-to-tent talking up tips and prevention. You can listen to the NPR report here.

-Shereen Alibhai

SOURCE: Huffington Post