Haitians in the Dominican Republic are paying a big price for the cholera outbreak currently affecting Haiti. We just learned that Dominicans are protesting the presence of Haitians in their country, fearing that they will bring cholera to them.

On Saturday November 20, 2010 a group of Dominican nationals took to the streets in El Penon, Barahona to force Dominican health, military and law enforcement  authorities to arrest all undocumented Haitians living in the region. They are fearing that these Haitians will bring cholera to the people living in the region. At one point, the protest got violent where the protestors were involved in tire burning and rock throwing.

In another instance, a Haitian couple was denied access to an apartment unit they have been renting for over three years in the Dominican Republic. According to the report, the owner of the apartment building had advised them to find someplace else to live because he was under pressure from the other tenants.

It is estimated that over 500 Haitians are currently living in the area of  El Penon in the Dominican Republic. This new development will likely make it hard for them to find a place to live in the country.

These violent behaviors currently being exhibited by some people in the Dominican Republic toward their Haitian neighbors because of fear of cholera may not necessary be justified. According to researches, cholera is typically transmitted by either contaminated food or water and is rarely spread directly from person to person.