The Haiti cholera outbreak is an ongoing crisis in the earthquake ravaged Caribbean nation of Haiti.

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake which took 230,000 lives in January this year, thousands of Haitians have been living in temporary accommodation while the poor nation struggles to rebuild.

Much of Haiti's health infrastructure was shattered by the January 12 earthquake, decimating the ranks of the government civil service.

The cholera outbreak has so far officially cost at least 1,400 lives in five weeks, and is rising by dozens each day. United Nations estimates suggest the toll may already be as high as 2000.

The highly contagious disease is spreading across Haiti at a rapid rate, and may affect hundreds of thousands of people before the epidemic is stopped.

Poor sanitation conditions in the slums where many earthquake survivors now live are being blamed for the outbreak.

Anger and blame over the epidemic is now being aimed at the UN.

Rioting has hit the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, where protestors have hurled bottles and rocks at UN peace keepers.

Locals suspect the cholera has emanated from septic tanks at a base for Nepalese UN peacekeepers in central Haiti, leaking into the Artibonite River, where locals drink, wash clothes and bathe.

The epicenter of the outbreak has not been confirmed, as officials focus their attention on preventing the disease from spreading.

The UN has called for more international aid, specifically doctors and nurses, to help in the fight against the epidemic, which is threatening to further destabilise a nation which is already living on the edge.

Officials have confirmed that the disease is continuing to spread, and without further international aid, the death toll is expected to rise sharply.