UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) is concerned about the spread of violence in rural Haiti, which forced schools and health centers to close, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.

The UN International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has reported its concern about the impact of growing violence in Artibonite, the country's main rice-growing region, said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Dujarric said that more than 100 schools in Haiti have shut down, and only one in four health facilities remains accessible due to insecurity.

He said with agricultural production in Artibonite disrupted, about a third of the population, nearly half of them children, require relief.

There was a resurgence of cholera in Haiti last year with the disease spreading throughout the country, the World Health Organization said.

Dujarric said the fund is also screening children for malnutrition, supporting the health system, schools and students.

On Monday, the Security Council adopted a resolution approving a multinational mission composed of individual country's police contingents to aid Haitian officers in quelling gang violence.

Among this year's aid of 720 million U.S. dollars, Haiti received a little more than a quarter, while reporting receiving only 20 percent of its 246-million-dollar funding appeal, according to UNICEF. Enditem

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