A group of scientists who investigated the source of a 2010 cholera epidemic in Haiti that killed thousands of people has concluded that U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal probably introduced the strain into the Caribbean country's population.
In a report, the scientists concluded that the outbreak was not the result of "deliberate action" and was caused by a "confluence of factors."
The findings marked a major retreat by the experts, who were part of an independent panel appointed by the United Nations and had concluded two years ago that incomplete evidence and the myriad factors in the epidemic's spread — including inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure — made it impossible to assign responsibility for the strain's introduction.
Since then however, the experts said, they have obtained new evidence, including microbiological samples.