In Haiti, aid agencies must build a health system on the fly
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In Haiti, the average life expectancy is 53, three-quarters of women give birth without a health attendant, diarrheal illnesses are the second-leading cause of death and 30% of children younger than 5 have stunted growth.
And that was before Tuesday’s magnitude 7.0 earthquake.
Emergency medical responders will now have to provide much more than the usual food, water, latrines and bandages to stop the spread of disease, said Dr. Christina Catlett, associate director for health preparedness at the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response in Baltimore. They’ll also have to create a public health system on the fly.
Continue reading In Haiti, aid workers face a dual challenge
-- Shari Roan
Audio slide show: Triage at the airport
Videos: Haiti earthquake and its aftermath