The situation on the Cholera outbreak in Haiti as reported in the news is grossly underreported. The photo to the left may be familiar to some of you; it is a makeshift overflow ward for people coming to be treated for cholera in LaPointe. The “official” death count is around 1600. My co-workers in Haiti are estimating it at 6 to 8 times that number already. Many of the hardest hit hospitals primarily in the North (where we work) are receiving 75 to 100 new people a day. News reports the death rate a 1-2% on the ground they say it can be more like 20%. Both national and international relief workers are very tired since they are working literally around the clock. There is a shortage of the IV required to treat the sick. Many facilities are simply restricting the amount of IV treatment that is given to 2 bags a day for 5 days. All estimates agree the disease has not peaked yet. The Haitians themselves are very tired; this only beats them down more. The sick being carried to hospitals can die along the way. In some cases I am told the bodies are thrown into ravines or simply left along the road. Not all those who die are properly interred. Open defecation and clean drinking water has always been a problem. Until there is widespread easy access to clean water and a plan for the problem of human waste, I am afraid this will continue. The relief agencies have been working on this since the earthquake but there is much to be done.
I have been asked if I would be willing to travel down with a medical team in December to serve as a translator. The group, a medical relief agency called MTI, based out of Seattle, WA is very experienced in relief work. If they call me, I will go. If this doesn’t happen, I will be returning to Haiti in January, as God wills.
There is also unrest in the country right now. The Haitians are blaming the UN International Peacekeepers for bringing the disease to Haiti. Actually, there has never been an outbreak of cholera prior to this in Haiti. The cities and towns have been taking steps on their own to monitor who is coming into their areas. Sometimes this is associated with violence, like rock throwing and the burning of tires. Some Medical Teams have been disallowed from entering some locations. On top of all this, Sunday, November 28th begins the election process. This only complicates Haiti’s trouble. The current government leaders have had their chance to profit from their office. Their departure will make room for the next Kleptocrat’s to take over.
What saddens me is my perception that the international community is just tired of Haiti and its problems. Mary Anastasia O’Grady in a recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal referred to Haiti as “the ultimate economic basket case of the Western Hemisphere.” It is! Not all problems are like those of the trapped miners in Chile. Their problem had a definite beginning and a definite (happy) ending. The news likes that. Then there’s the money shot, the first miner out of the shaft, hooray! Haiti is just an ongoing mess trapped in a downward spiral going from crisis to crisis with no end in sight.
Please pray for Haiti as well as those who serve there as often as you can. If you can, make a donation. Door of Hope will hand deliver your gift to responsible people who will in turn use it to care for those in need. God give us as believers the grace of staying power to not grow weary in well doing believing that in due time we will reap if we don’t faint.
Quick fact: Haitians use Clorox bleach in water to kill disease. It is widely used in Haiti for sanitation. If you can find it you are going to pay $7.00 US per gallon. I guess the laws of supply and demand are blind to plight of the poor.
