In Haiti, a new concern regarding cholera outbreaks, is placing fear in many people about getting infect. "Health experts in Haiti warned in January when the cholera outbreak began to slow that there could be a surge of new cases in the spring, when rain would help spread contaminated water," says authors of the article affiliated with the Associated Press.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It has a short incubation period, from less than one day to five days, and produces an enterotoxin that causes a large amount of painless, watery diarrhea and vomiting that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given (WHO).
Last year, Haiti experienced a total of 160,929 cases of cholera, with 3,573 of those leading to death. WHO and partners, including the GOARN (Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network), have continued to support Haiti in their response to the outbreak. Civil unrest in Haiti has caused a delay in the delivery of supplies for prevention and treatment of patients, particularly in Northern Haiti. Trainings on cholera treatment and initiatives to chlorinate water for 300,000 people had to be postponed because of this, which demonstrates the large effect that an unstable government and civil structure of a nation can have on the ability to promote health. In many other countries, the unrest of the people have caused halts in the prevention methods and treatment dispersal for a various number of diseases. One thing that we, as public health students, must take into account is that tackling the distribution and allocation of supplies is just one aspect of global health that we need to focus on. Beyond that, we must also look into the environmental, political, and social stabilities of the country to determine how to best implement methods in the hopes of improving the health of the community.
I think your comment on the political and social instability in Haiti holds incredible relevance in the debate on allocation of health resources. Social unrest is really threatening to un-do the good work done by NGO's in the country - recently there have been protests against UN peace keepers even. It's one thing to provide these resources to impoverished countries, it's a much bigger to task to ensure proper distribution of these resources. I feel the only way for this outbreak to subside is if an efficient government can be put in place to stabilize the country and also replace damaged infrastructure.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with your comment, Max. However, in cases such as these, would it be efficient to completely re-organize a country's government in order to better secure their healthcare system, while that same country is on the verge of an epidemic? In cases such as these, there is no time to waste when it comes to disease prevention. I think that other measures must be taken to ensure that resources are allocated to the public in an efficient and organized manner.
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