Swiss launch aid efforts for Haiti

Switzerland is sending two water specialists to Haiti to help contain an outbreak of cholera on the Caribbean island.

The experts from the disaster relief unit will assist the local authorities during a three-week mission, according to the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

The Swiss branch of the church charity Caritas, which has been active in the region for more than 30 years, has pledged SFr100,000 ($101,184) to support a hospital and health centres.

Officials say nearly 300 have died in a cholera outbreak in Haiti and more than 3,600 people have been infected.

Aid agencies are stepping up prevention efforts in and around the capital, Port-au-Prince, amid fears it could spread to the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

The country was hit by a devastating earthquake in January, forcing about 1.3 million people to live in tents.