Sunday, October 24, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
GRU Response To The Cholera Outbreak In Haiti
We planned to unveil a beautiful, complete blog for Grass Roots United, but that was yesterday. Last night a reliable source informed us that there were 160 confirmed cholera fatalities. This morning The UN rated the outbreak as a Category 4 on the Infectious Disease Impact Scale. Category 4 means that there is significant social disruption. Category 5 is the level given to a full disaster; we’re trying to stop that from happening.
What GRU Is Doing:
Grass Roots United is built to respond quickly and correctly. We do it by having the supplies we need on site, and strong relationships with other relief organizations. As of this writing we’re working with Medical Teams International to set up two clinics. The first will be in the town of Saint-Marc to support the Partners in Health’s clinic. Saint-Marc is where the outbreak was first discovered, and where the sick are congregating. We sent supplies up with Partners in Health this afternoon, and we’re following with more. The supplies include adult, child and infant diapers, re-hydration supplies, antibiotics and IVs. The second is planned for the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. Looking further out we hope to be working with six to twelve front-line clinics.
The list of organizations that we’re working with, or have contributed supplies, is long, and I don’t have all of their names. I’m listing what is in front of me, in no particular order, with more to come later:
GRU is not only setting up clinics. A massive prevention effort began at the same time as the clinic operations got going. Tomorrow GRU will organize teams of Haitian volunteers to go into the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps. Working in Haiti means partnering with Haitians, not just the international aid groups. It’s impossible for me to list everyone who works with GRU, but it’s a disservice that I can’t.
The volunteers will be armed with fliers explaining how to keep from contracting cholera. Finding good graphics, and then translating the information to Kreole alone took hours. The fliers also explain what symptoms to watch for, and what to do if you see them.
The Outbreak:
Cholera is a short, brutal disease. After a 4 to 5 day incubation period small bacteria flagellate into the walls of the small intestine, causing the body to flush all of its fluids. It’s not simply bad diarrhea, it’s losing 3 liters of bodily fluid within 2 hours, intense cramping pain, and possible death from dehydration.
The outbreak started in the rural Artibonite Department, where the Artibonite River flooded with the seasonal rains. Saint-Marc is the largest city in Artibonite, and the hospitals there were quickly overwhelmed. People searching for care are also people spreading the bacteria, which is why it is so vital to get clinics set up between Saint-Marc and Port-au-Prince. Unfortunately the rumors indicate that there are cases in the city. There is a confirmed case very close to City Soliel, the largest slum in the western hemisphere.
There has not been a cholera outbreak in Haiti in over a century. The last outbreak in the western hemisphere occurred in Latin America in the early 1990s.
What You Can Do:
Right now our priority is to get IV fluids into Haiti. If you can give any money it will go directly towards the costs of IVs, fluids, and transport. At this point no one knows how long this outbreak could last, or how far it could spread. If you have access to any of the medical supplies we may need, or any other items you would like to donate, email us at info@grassrootsunited.org. If you want to come and volunteer we have plenty of room, plenty of work, and a huge amount of appreciation. To donate please go to our website: www.grassrootsunited.org and click through to the contribution page. To volunteer go to the same website and click through to the “volunteer your skills” page.
Getting In Touch:
We’ll do our best to keep you all informed by keeping this blog updated. Thank you so much for reading it, and for your support.
Peace and Love,
Grass Roots United
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