The cholera epidemic began in Haiti near a camp for UN soldiers where there were leaking sewage pipes. Some human waste was also dumped outside the camp near a river. One of the UN's own experts on cholera, Danielle Lantagne, told the BBC it was "most likely" the disease originated in the UN camp. It housed UN soldiers from Nepal, where cholera is endemic. The UN rejected an earlier call for compensation in this unprecedented case against the world body, saying it was immune from such claims. But the victims' lawyers say the UN is breaking international law. If mediation talks don't begin within 60 days, the lawyers say, they'll open legal proceedings in New York with claims totalling many billions of dollars. The lawyers say they'll file claims for $100,000 for the families of those who have lost a loved one and $50,000 for every one of the hundreds of thousands of people who have fallen sick. The UN has said very little on the matter, apart from to insist it is immune from legal proceedings. At the same time, it may also be true that the United Nations simply doesn't know what to do in the face of what could have been a series of catastrophic and deadly errors. In private, UN officials say they're facing a moral crisis. Now they may be about to confront a very public legal battle as well.


霍乱疫情开始于靠近联合国士兵驻扎地附近的海地区域，这些地方发生了污水水管泄漏。一些人类污染物同样也排放在驻扎地外围靠近河流的地方。一位联合国霍乱专家Danielle Lantagne曾告诉BBC，说霍乱最有可能发源于联合国兵营。这些兵营里有来自尼泊尔的士兵，而在尼泊尔霍乱是一种地方性疾病。 联合国驳回了之前提出的、这起史无前例的病例案件的索赔要求，并发表声明说该起索赔不会对联合国产生任何影响。但是受害者律师说联合国违反了国际法律，他们会在纽约提起诉讼，并要求索赔，其总金额达数十亿美元。 这些律师说他们会提起高达$100,000的索赔要求，以补偿那些痛失所爱之人的家庭，并要求索赔$50,000/人，补偿那些成千上万的病人。联合国除了坚持不会受到任何法律程序影响之外几乎未发表任何其他声明。但是同时，联合国也有可能仅仅不知道在面对一系列灾难性死亡事件面前，应如何行动。联合国官员私下说他们正面对一场道德危机。现在他们可能即将面临一场非常公开透明的法律之战。