Cholera hits Haiti school run by N.L. woman

A western Newfoundland woman who runs a school in Haiti says the fallout from last January's earthquake is having a frightening effect on her students.

Karen Huxter said Friday there are two confirmed cases of cholera at the school in Deschapelles, Haiti, which was badly damaged on Jan. 12. She said some of the youngest children there may also be showing symptoms.

"It's not a good situation at all when you have that in school on the school grounds, you're trying to do your best. They're little children, they don't understand," said Huxter.  

She's keeping the youngest children out of school to try to prevent the disease from spreading.

Huxter said she'd prefer to close the school, but she's waiting for word from the government.

Huxter is the founder and director of the Hands Across the Sea orphanage, about 40 kilometres outside Port-au-Prince.

Last winter, St. John's city council donated $50,000 to help repair the orphanage.

The United Nations is asking for $164 million US to help fight the deadly disease spreading throughout Haiti.

The outbreak of the severe diarrheal disease was first detected in the Artibonite region in late October.

At least 724 people have died and more than 11,000 people have been admitted to hospital since the outbreak began, the Pan American Health Organization said in a statement Thursday.