Cholera outbreak hits rural Haiti 142 dead

mlurp · #1 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 12:28 PM

This could have been avoided I believe.

Quote:

Cholera outbreak hits rural Haiti - 142 dead

By JACOB KUSHNER, Associated Press Writer Jacob Kushner, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 30 mins ago

ST. MARC, Haiti – At least 142 people have died in a cholera outbreak, and aid groups are rushing in medicine and other supplies Friday to combat Haiti's deadliest health problem since its devastating earthquake.

The outbreak in the rural Artibonite region, which hosts thousands of quake refugees, raised fears of an epidemic spreading to squalid tarp cities, where homeless quake survivors are vulnerable to disease because of poor sanitation.

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

Many of the sick have converged on St. Nicholas hospital in the seaside city of St. Marc, where hundreds of dehydrated patients lay on blankets in a parking lot with IVs in their arms as they waited for treatment.

Health Ministry director Gabriel Thimothe said laboratory tests confirmed that the illness is cholera. He said Friday that 142 people have died and more than 1,000 infected people were hospitalized.

The president of the Haitian Medical Association, Claude Surena, said people must be vigilant about hygiene and wash their hands frequently to slow the spread of the disease.

"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.

Click image to see photos of the cholera outbreak in Haiti and there are many video's
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Cholera outbreak hits rural Haiti - 142 dead - Yahoo! News

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And 803 Comments.

saltwn · #2 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 01:06 PM

I'm surprised that didn't happen in New Orleans. I have the same opinion here as I did for that ill fated area. Burn it. To the ground. Start over.

Kings_Knight · #3 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwn

I'm surprised that didn't happen in New Orleans. I have the same opinion here as I did for that ill fated area. Burn it. To the ground. Start over.

Screw your opinion - I'm FROM New Orleans, and I don't appreciate your attitude toward my home town ...

I also lived thru Katrina. And Betsy. And Camille. And a few others ...

saltwn · #4 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kings_Knight

Screw your opinion - I'm FROM New Orleans, and I don't appreciate your attitude toward my home town ...

I also lived thru Katrina. And Betsy. And Camille. And a few others ...

I love your home town. No offense intended. Remembering the history of Galveston's 1900 hurricane and subsequent cholera outbreak, I am convinced complete demolishing and reconstruction was the best way to go. I would have missed the historic buildings but now that it has not been done I will avoid your fair city. I'll hold it's beauty and charm in my memory.

lizzie · #5 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwn

I'm surprised that didn't happen in New Orleans. I have the same opinion here as I did for that ill fated area. Burn it. To the ground. Start over.

I just can't imagine who ever thought that building a city below sea level was a good idea to begin with.

mlurp · #6 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizzie

I just can't imagine who ever thought that building a city below sea level was a good idea to begin with.

Humm ever see "The Crumbling of America" On the west coast we have several cities that fit in that class as well as most of CA. fresh water supply that depend on levees which are earthen and old.

One Dam breaks and even the Airport is under water. With CA. fresh water all it takes is a break in the levees or very large salt water wave to do the damage.

If you ever get the chance to view this documentary do so. As it covers all our bridges, dams, sewers, water treatment, highways etc.

I have seen it twice and was amazed the second time around... America is in need everywhere to repair, replace and improve it's infrastructure and we are running out of time and haven't the money to do much.

I was hoping that the stimulus money would have addressed these issues. But hope was not to be.

But this was suppose to be about Haiti and the sad situation there. Our time of despair will come in time...

AzMike · #7 (**permalink**) 10-23-2010, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kings_Knight

Screw your opinion - I'm FROM New Orleans, and I don't appreciate your attitude toward my home town ...

I also lived thru Katrina. And Betsy. And Camille. And a few others ...

I kind of have you pegged as a right wing guy so in that vien I'm thinking if you step out of your house looking up at sea level and don't think there may be a problem here you aren't thinking right.

saltwn · #8 (**permalink**) 10-23-2010, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizzie

I just can't imagine who ever thought that building a city below sea level was a good idea to begin with.

Just some statistics fyi:
Houston is 40 feet above sea level. Largo Florida is at sea level. , New Orleans is 8 ft below sea level. Death Valley's Badwater Basin, is 282 ft below sea level.

I think New Orleans is the only American city of any size that far below sea level. They and Haiti might try building a sea wall. It worked for Galveston.

mlurp · #9 (**permalink**) 10-23-2010, 03:29 AM

Maybe this will get some attention as this story isn't going to end soon or with a happy ending.

Yet the side bars are interesting. There are several video's as the news crws have had time to arrive.

Quote:

Cholera outbreak spreads toward Haiti's capital

By JACOB KUSHNER, Associated Press Writer Jacob Kushner, Associated Press Writer – 24 mins ago

ST. MARC, Haiti – An outbreak of cholera has spread outside a rural valley in central Haiti, intensifying worries the disease could reach squalid tarp camps that house hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors in the capital.

By early Saturday, nearly 200 dead were confirmed dead in the poor Caribbean nation's worst health crisis since the Jan. 12 quake, and authorities said more than 2,000 people were sick.

The first two cholera cases outside the central Artibonite region were confirmed Friday in Arcahaie, a town closer to the quake-devastated capital, Port-au-Prince. Experts also were investigating possible cases in Croix-des-Bouquet, a suburb of the capital, and radio reports said there were two dozen cases of diarrhea on Gonave island.

Health officials are fearful about the outbreak spreading into the capital, where thousands and thousands of people are living in unsanitary conditions in refugee camps.

"It will be very, very dangerous," said Claude Surena, president of the Haitian Medical Association. "Port-au-Prince already has more than 2.4 million people, and the way they are living is dangerous enough already." clearly a lot more needs to be done."

Aid groups and the government were rushing in medical and relief supplies, including 10,000 boxes of water purification, according to the World Health Organization.

The Ministry of Health has confirmed 194 deaths and a total of 2,364 cases of cholera, said Imogen Wall, a spokeswoman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

"It's concentrated in Artibonite right now and we're doing our best to keep it that way," Wall said.

Dozens of patients lay on the floor awaiting treatment at the St. Nicholas hospital in the seaside city of St. Marc on Friday, some of them brushing away flies on mattresses stained with human feces.

One, 55-year-old Jille Sanatus, was brought in by his son Jordany the night before. A doctor was struggling to stick a needle into his arm.

"He's completely dehydrated, so it's difficult. It's hard to find the vein," said Dr. Roasana Casimir, who had been working nearly without rest since the outbreak became apparent Wednesday.

Casimir finally penetrated the vein and fluid from an IV bag began to trickle in, but half an hour later the father of 10 was dead. Two hospital employees carried the body to the morgue behind the hospital and placed it on the ground for the family to reclaim for a funeral.

Sanatus' son said the family had been drinking water from a river running down from the central plateau region. Health Minister Alex Larsen said Friday that the river tested positive for cholera.

Wall said the sick patients and the contagious remains of the dead were insufficiently quarantined.

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Cholera outbreak spreads toward Haiti's capital - Yahoo! News

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saltwn · #10 (**permalink**) 10-23-2010, 03:58 AM

Cholera occurs when there is unburied dead or dead wash up on shore. The bodies should be burned and actually the damned island evacuated and scoured then rebuilt.

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