Michelle Obama Visits Haiti
MEXICO CITY- April 14, 2010 — In her first solo trip overseas as first lady, Michelle Obama made an unannounced visit to Haiti on Tuesday, flying in an Army helicopter over Port-au-Prince, the earthquake-damaged capital, meeting with Haiti’s president and first lady in the ravaged National Palace and dancing with young children trying to get beyond the destruction of their homes.
Plain to see, wherever Mrs. Obama turned her eyes, was the devastation caused by the violent tremors that hit Haiti in the late afternoon of Jan. 12, killing more than 220,000 people and destroying much of Haiti’s already ailing infrastructure.
“It’s powerful,” Mrs. Obama said after surveying the wreckage from above. “The devastation is definitely powerful.” Accompanied by Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Mrs. Obama entered a safe area set aside to provide therapy to traumatized children living in a giant squatter camp in the Champ de Mars, Port-au-Prince’s central plaza.
“We are glad to see you,” the children sang out in Creole. The Haitian first lady, Elisabeth Delatour Préval, who went to college in the United States, served as Mrs. Obama’s interpreter. The American first lady also met with President René Préval.
The goal of the trip was to keep attention focused on Haiti’s plight. “We’re at the point where the relief efforts are under way, but the attention of the world starts to wane a bit,” Mrs. Obama told reporters. more
Travelers from Haiti bringing malaria to U.S.
11 cases reported so far, government health officials say
MSNBC.com- 3/09/2010- Health experts watching for signs of a malaria outbreak have noticed several cases of the mosquito-borne disease among people traveling back from Haiti, where an earthquake in January killed as many as 300,000 people.
So far, 11 laboratory-confirmed cases of malaria have been reported among emergency responders and those traveling in the United States from Haiti, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.
Haiti already had a problem with malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes that will have more places to breed in the cities and towns wrecked by the giant quake.
"Thus, displaced persons living outdoors or in temporary shelters and thousands of emergency responders in Haiti are at substantial risk," researchers at the Pan American Health Organization and colleagues wrote in the CDC's weekly report on death and disease.
Each year, Haiti reports about 30,000 confirmed cases of malaria to the Pan American Health Organization, but the CDC estimates as many as 200,000 may occur each year.
Three cases the CDC cited occurred among Haitian residents traveling to the United States and one case involved a U.S. resident who was visiting Haiti. All are expected to recover fully.
Six out of eight patients, including seven emergency responders, had been advised to take drugs to prevent malaria but had not done so, the PAHO experts said. more
U.S. soldiers in Haiti have contracted malaria and leptospirosis
Examiner.com-2/6/2010-It has been reported by Stars and Stripes on Friday that 6 U.S. soldiers serving in Haiti during the relief effort after the devastating earthquake. One of the soldiers was so severely ill that he was taken to the Army hospital at Fort Bragg, NC.
The soldier, who was on life support and near death, is now expected to make a full recovery. He was diagnosed with falciparum malaria, the very deadly strain which happens to be endemic in Haiti.
The other soldiers are being treated for malaria at their units in Haiti.
These cases of malaria come on the heels of a Naval Petty Officer who died from the parasitic disease after getting infected in Liberia last December.
According to Army officials, all soldiers deployed to Haiti are given prophylactic doxycycline 48 hours before deployment. In addition, soldiers are supposed to have their uniforms treated with the insecticide, Permethrin. They are also given DEET to apply to their skin throughout the day.
The problem however, according to military studies is non-compliance of the antibiotic prophylaxis regimen and the sporadic use of the other preventive measures.
Insecticide treated bed nets are also supposed to be issued for deployed military personnel.
In addition to malaria, a warrant officer also deployed to Haiti, became extremely ill after a bout of leptospirosis. This is a bacterial disease which people get when exposed to water that’s contaminated with animal urine, particularly rat urine. He is being treated in a Tampa hospital.
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Haiti: A brief History
NYTimes.com-2/23/2010- One of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, Haiti in recent years has struggled with problems ranging from near-constant political upheaval, health crises, severe environmental degradation and an annual barrage of hurricanes.
On Jan. 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Haiti, reducing much of its capital to rubble. It was the worst earthquake in the region in more than 200 years. A study by the Inter-American Development Bank estimates that the cost could be between $7.2 billion to $13.2 billion, based on a death toll from 200,000 to 250,000. The devastation created serious obstacles to those attempting to deliver promised foreign aid.
Huge swaths of the capital, Port-au-Prince, lay in ruins, and thousands of people were trapped in the rubble of government buildings, foreign aid offices and shantytowns. Schools, hospitals and a prison collapsed.
Haiti occupies an area roughly the size of Maryland on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Nearly all of the 8.7 million residents are of African descent and speak Creole and French. The capital is Port-au-Prince.
The country is, by a significant margin, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, with four out of five people living in poverty and more than half in abject poverty. Deforestation and over-farming have left much of Haiti eroded and barren, undermining subsistence farming efforts, driving up food prices and leaving the country even more vulnerable to natural disasters. Its long history of political instability and corruption has added to the turmoil. more
Disease Risk Looms at Port-au-Prince Camps
NYdailynews.com-1/21/2010-- Haitian authorities launched a massive operation Thursday to relocate thousands of homeless earthquake victims as the search for survivors entered its final phase.
Faced with an estimated 2 million people left homeless by the quake, Haitian officials said it was critical to begin emptying squalid camps in Port-au-Prince.
Most lack clean water, electricity and basic sanitation.
"The government has made available to people free transportation," said Haitian Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé. "A large operation is taking place."
Aid workers said the risk of disease inside the tent cities was severe.
"The next health risk could include outbreaks of diarrhea, respiratory tract infections and other diseases among hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in overcrowded camps with poor or nonexistent sanitation," Dr. Greg Elder, of Doctors Without Borders in Haiti, said.
Some 34 buses were to whisk people from the capital to the north and south of the country, where tented communities capable of holding 10,000 people each are being built.
The relocation effort kicked off as the U.S. military began using three more airports to help ramp up relief efforts and rescue teams continued searching for survivors.
"It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack, and each day the needles are disappearing," said Steven Chin, a member of a Los Angeles County rescue team.
Nine days after the quake, the scene in Port-au-Prince remained grim.
Amid the rubble, doctors worked around the clock - often lacking basic supplies and modern equipment - to treat the endless stream of victims.
Some clinics reported 10- to 12-day backups of patients.
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Haiti Earthquake Victims and Volunteers Face Clean Water Issues
Water Safety, Access, Still Major Concern
BALTIMORE- 1/19/10—Six days after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked Haiti the health and sanitation situation is still less than optimal in the makeshift camps. "Access to shelter, sanitation, water, food and medical care remains extremely limited," announced Riccardo Conti on a bulletin yesterday from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC's). Conti is ICRC’s head of delegation in Haiti.
Medical facilities in Port-au-Prince still lack staff and medicine and access to clean water is an issue for victims as well as Haiti earthquake volunteers. Passport Health, the leading provider of travel medical services and vaccinations, and Hydro-Photon, maker of SteriPEN portable water purifiers, are joining together to support Operation USA in its efforts to assist victims of the Haitian earthquake. OP USA is an international relief agency that helps communities at home and abroad overcome the effects of disasters, disease and endemic poverty by providing privately-funded relief, reconstruction and development aid. Since 1979, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit has worked in 99 countries, delivering over $350 million for relief and development projects.
“Hydro-Photon will provide quantities of its SteriPEN water purifiers to help protect the health of relief workers and earthquake victims on the ground in Haiti,” announced Miles Maiden, CEO of Hydro-Photon. SteriPEN utilizes ultraviolet light to destroy bacteria, viruses and protozoa in seconds, helping to prevent water-borne illness. Operation USA supports several field organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, Partners in Health and World Vision, all of which are presently working to improve conditions in Haiti. Please support its efforts through donations at www.opusa.org.
“The task facing humanitarian organizations is overwhelming," said Fran Lessans, CEO of Passport Health. Passport Health keeps up-to date health alerts for all international volunteers. “Water is essential, but clean water is scarce and volunteers have to take precautions with water purification devices so that they do not become ill while helping others,” she added. “We stand behind our partners Hydro-Photon and Doctors Without borders and encourage you to donate to Operation USA.
Passport Health will make recommendations for vaccines, portable water purifiers, and food, water and mosquito-borne illnesses for each volunteer. Clean water is an issue right now,” she concluded.
Passport Health is reaching out to all volunteer and relief organizations and is offering extended hours throughout their national network of clinics. Passport Health will also come on-site for departing volunteer groups.
Haiti Earthquake Mobilizes Relief Workers: Donations, Volunteers Needed
BALTIMORE- 1/13/10—The most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Haiti’s history devastated parts of the island Tuesday. “We are saddened by the news and extend our condolences to those affected by this earthquake,” said Fran Lessans, CEO of Passport Health, the nation’s leading provider of travel medical services and immunizations. “Our priority right now is to make sure that Haiti Earthquake volunteers take adequate measures so that they do not succumb to illness,” she added. Passport Health keeps up-to date health alerts for all international volunteers.
Passport Health is encouraging everyone to help out any way they can. Passport Health (www.passporthealthusa.com) has added a link on their website to allow direct donations to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an international medical humanitarian organization working in more than 60 countries to assist people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe. MSF’s clinics have been damaged by this earthquake and teams are setting up clinics to treat those who are injured.
According to a MSF senior staff member "the situation is chaotic.” Many medical centers and one major hospitals are not functioning."
“There is a great need for volunteers,” continued Lessans. “Precautionary measures to consider when entering areas affected by the Hatian Earthquake include:
Up-to-date vaccinations:
“Passport Health will make recommendations for vaccines, portable water purifiers, and food, water and mosquito-borne illnesses for each volunteer. In these situations conditions are less than sanitary and we want to make sure no one gets sick while trying to help others. Clean water is an issue right now,” she concluded.
Passport Health is reaching out to all volunteer and relief organizations and is offering extended hours throughout their national network of clinics. Passport Health will also come on-site for departing volunteer groups.
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