Morning Briefing

"As the world's worst outbreak of cholera continues to ravage Haiti, international donors have averted their gaze," a Washington Post editorial writes. The editorial notes that a "pilot project to vaccinate Haitians against the disease ... reached only one percent of the population, with no immediate prospect of expansion," and "[o]f the 100 or so cholera treatment centers that sprang up around the country after the disease was detected 19 months ago, fewer than a third remain." The solution to the epidemic is "equally well known and costly," the editorial states, adding, "Haiti needs modern water and sanitation infrastructure, an undertaking that might cost $1 billion. But while donors tend to respond generously to emergencies, such as the earthquake that devastated Haiti in early 2010, they lose interest in long-term fixes of the sort that would deal decisively with cholera."