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Since the earthquake of January 12, 2010 that devastated
Haiti and resulted in more than 230,000 deaths, thousands
of volunteers and military personnel have traveled to the
distressed country to assist in the relief effort. The
desperate and unhealthy living conditions make the relief
effort that much more challenging for the volunteers and
military in Haiti.
Soon after the earthquake, U.S. Army Warrant Officer
Christopher Lust was assisting the relief efforts in
Haiti when he contracted an unusual bacterial infection that
caused him to tremble violently and vomit blood. This
infection, known as leptospirosis, is caused by
exposure to water contaminated with animal urine. If
left untreated, leptospirosis can cause kidney damage and
liver and brain failure. Once doctors correctly diagnosed
Officer Lust with leptospirosis, he was given large doses of
antibiotics for treatment, and his condition improved
rapidly.
The potential spread of contagious diseases following
natural disasters is a major concern of government, military
and health officials. According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), risks of viral or bacterial
infections are high when thousands of people live in
temporary tent cities without proper sanitation, clean
drinking water, or access to medical treatment.
There are over 600,000 people living in temporary shelters
in Haiti and only 10% of them (62,000) have been vaccinated,
health officials said. The campaign includes vaccination for
tetanus, diphtheria, and rubella. No outbreaks have been
reported, according to the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO), but there have been scattered
reports of people suffering from respiratory infections and
diarrhea as well as unconfirmed cases of measles and malaria.
Emergency measures are being taken by relief organizations
and volunteers to help reduce the threat of waterborne
disease. Sanitation facilities are critical as is access to
safe drinking water. Bottled water has been provided,
but this is very costly and too slow to serve such a large
number of people. As a more long term strategy,
self-contained mobile water treatment plants have been
set up in high need areas, such as temporary hospitals,
schools, and community centers. “To prevent the spread
of disease, relief and health workers are distributing water
treated with chlorine and digging latrines to serve every
25-50 people,” Jon Andrus, PAHO deputy director, said.
Chlorination of drinking water has been proven to be the
most cost effective way to prevent waterborne disease in the
aftermath of a natural disaster. These measures will protect
not only the earthquake victims, who must pick up their lives
and go forward, but also the volunteers and military, like
Officer Lust, who come to their aid.
(Joan Rose, PhD, is the Homer Nowlin Chair in Water
Research at Michigan State University and a member of the
Water
Quality and Health Council)
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