A record 5.7 million people, or 51% of the total population, are currently suffering from hunger
Residents of displacement sites in Port-au-Prince often repeatedly consume a mixture of oral rehydration solution and milk, a practice that specialists contacted by AyiboPost consider dangerous to health.
This preparation is supposed to compensate for nutritional deficiencies or health problems faced by people displaced by gang violence in a context of persistent precarity, according to half a dozen individuals aware of the practice who were reached by AyiboPost.
Three health professionals, including two nutritionists, argue that this mixture is likely to cause kidney problems, may increase calcium levels, and can even cause death in certain circumstances.
Augustin Welnaze, a mother of three who fled the Carrefour-Feuilles neighborhood because of armed violence, has been living at the Ministry of Culture and Communication (MCC) site in Bois-Verna for two years.
She says she has developed the habit of consuming oral rehydration solution (ORS) mixed with milk when she feels “weak.”
“When I’m hungry or have diarrhea, I take oral rehydration solution with milk to strengthen myself,” she says in a calm tone.
Clifford Stanley Anténor, 35, a father and resident of the same site, also consumes the mixture for nutritional reasons.
“I don’t eat very well since I’ve been living here. Once I feel weak, I make it. After that, I feel in great shape and I exercise.”
While, for Stanley Anténor Clifford, consumption has had no negative effect on his health so far, for Welnaze it is quite different. “Sometimes, I feel dizzy,” reveals the 49-year-old woman.
The practice appears to be widespread at other displacement sites in the metropolitan area.
Théodore Rodolphe, secretary of the central committee of the Mormon site on Avenue Christophe, says he has become aware of this practice at the displacement site, which hosts around 7,000 people.
Oral serum is a solution made of drinking water, sugar, salt, and electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and citrate).
According to doctors, it must be prepared exactly according to instructions, generally with drinking water only.
Read also: Humanitarian crisis worsens in Haiti
For Anilus Jean, a nutritionist and professor of nutrition, consuming oral serum mixed with milk containing lactose carries major health risks.
According to the nutritionist, this solution can cause an imbalance in concentration (osmolarity), because milk contains proteins, fats, lactose, and minerals.
“By adding milk to the solution, its concentration is altered,” explains Jean, who is also an official at the Ministry of Public Health and Population.
For Dr. Harry Desliens, mixing oral serum and milk risks increasing a person’s calcium level.
“Which can,” he says, “cause kidney stones and raise the pH level in the stomach in cases of acidity.”
By adding sodium chloride without a real need in the body, he explains, the consumer exposes themselves to the risk of a stroke.
Nutritionist Ernst St Fleur’s position on the issue is more nuanced.
According to him, consuming the mixture of milk and oral serum is riskier when the person is suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, to the point of “wrecking the kidneys.”
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However, he clarifies to AyiboPost, in the absence of severe dehydration, the combination may help maintain cellular hydration.
“Mixed with milk, oral serum becomes a drink rich in electrolytes and nutrients, with strong hydrating power,” explains the nutritionist and food technology expert.
According to an alert from the United Nations World Food Programme published in October 2025, women, children, and displaced families are the hardest hit by the prolonged crisis gripping Haiti, leading to an increase in hunger and malnutrition.
This alert follows the publication of the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis.
According to the IPC, a record 5.7 million people, or 51% of the total population, are currently suffering from hunger, representing a 3% increase compared to last year.
Malnutrition rates have also doubled in two years, rising from 7% to 14% among children under five, with some regions recording even higher rates.
Armed gang violence has caused the forced displacement of 1.4 million people in Haiti, according to the latest Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) report from the International Organization for Migration, published in October 2025 and reviewed by AyiboPost.
By :Wilder Sylvain
Cover | A woman holds a bag of oral rehydration solution, used to prevent dehydration. Photo: Jean Feguens Regala for AyiboPost
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