At least 135 dead from cholera outbreak in Haiti

It just keeps getting worse and worse for the poor people of Haiti. Meanwhile, as the millions of poverty-stricken suffer from inadequate housing, malnutrition, lack of sanitation, lack of fresh water, etc.,  the president and his cronies, who have been filling their pockets with money that has never been spent on the country’s infrastructure, are doing just fine. It’s been this way in Haiti for far too long. Something needs to be done about this by the international community; and fast!

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

By JACOB KUSHNER, Associated Press Writer Jacob Kushner, Associated Press Writer

ST. MARC, Haiti – An outbreak of severe diarrhea in rural central Haiti has killed at least 135 people and sickened hundreds more who overwhelmed a crowded hospital Thursday seeking treatment.

Hundreds of patients lay on blankets in a parking lot outside St. Nicholas hospital in the port city of St. Marc with IVs in their arms for rehydration. As rain began to fall in the afternoon, nurses rushed to carry them inside.

Doctors were testing for cholera, typhoid and other illnesses in the Caribbean nation’s deadliest outbreak since a January earthquake that killed as many as 300,000 people.

Catherine Huck, deputy country director for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the Caribbean nation’s health ministry had recorded 135 deaths and more than 1,000 infected people.

“What we know is that people have diarrhea, and they are vomiting, and (they) can go quickly if they are not seen in time,” said Catherine Huck, country deputy for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. She said doctors were still awaiting lab results to pinpoint the disease.

The president of the Haitian Medical Association, Claude Surena, said the cause appeared to be cholera, but added that had not been confirmed by the government.

“The concern is that it could go from one place to another place, and it could affect more people or move from one region to another one,” he said.

Cholera is a waterborne bacterial infection spread through contaminated water. It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration and death within hours. Treatment involves administering a salt and sugar-based rehydration serum.

The sick come from across the rural Artibonite region, which did not experience significant damage in the Jan. 12 quake but has absorbed thousands of refugees from the devastated capital 45 miles (70 kilometers) south of St. Marc.

Government figures list a total of 54 people dead and 619 ill, said Yolaine Surena, a coordinator for Haiti’s civil protection department.

Some patients said they drank water from a public canal, while others said they bought purified water. All complained of symptoms including fever, vomiting and severe diarrhea.

“I ran to the bathroom four times last night vomiting,” said 70-year-old Belismene Jean Baptiste.

Trucks loaded with medical supplies including rehydration salts were to be sent from Port-au-Prince to the hospital, said Jessica DuPlessis, an OCHA spokeswoman. Doctors at the hospital said they also needed more personnel to handle the flood of patients.

Elyneth Tranckil was among dozens of relatives standing outside the hospital gate as new patients arrived near death.

“Police have blocked the entry to the hospital, so I can’t get in to see my wife,” Tranckil said.

Aid groups were mobilizing to ship medicine, water filtration units and other relief supplies to the Artibonite region.

“We have been afraid of this since the earthquake,” said Robin Mahfood, president of Food for the Poor, which was preparing to airlift donations of antibiotics, oral dehydration salts and other supplies.

The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince issued an advisory urging people to drink only bottled or boiled water and eat only food that has been thoroughly cooked.

About The Great One

Am interested in science and philosophy as well as sports; cycling and tennis. Enjoy reading, writing, playing chess, collecting Spyderco knives and fountain pens.
This entry was posted in General Discussion and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Let me know your thoughts...

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.