Crisis in Haiti

Event Overview

On Tuesday, January 12^th, 2010, Haiti was hit by a shallow, 7.0 magnitude earthquake, leading to staggering numbers of lives lost and severe infrastructure damage. With the epicenter being less than 15 km from Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince, the heavily populated city suffered heavy devastation. Despite having plans in place for weather-related disasters such as hurricanes, the impoverished nation was ill prepared for a natural disaster of this scale.

Existing Risk Factors

Haiti is the third largest country in the Caribbean, however it is also the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere. According to the World Health Organization, in 2009 45% of Haitians lacked access to clean drinking water, and 83% lacked sufficient sanitation.

Tuesday’s earthquake damaged already compromised critical infrastructure such as hospitals and health clinics. An early report noted that at least eight Port-au-Prince area hospitals had either collapsed or had suffered severe damage. Basic utilities such as power, water, sanitation, transport, and lines of communication were significantly impacted immediately following the initial quake.

Earthquake Related Risks

High mortality due to trauma has already been seen with this disaster. Estimates of 100,000 to 200,000 dead are circulating, however the actual death toll may never be known due to the disposal of corpses in mass graves. Post-traumatic infections are the most immediate risk due to the lack of medical supplies and support.

Infectious disease such as measles, malaria, meningitis, tuberculosis, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, and respiratory illnesses were present already in Haiti before the earthquake, but amplification is expected in the face of this complex humanitarian emergency. Waterborne diseases may begin to emerge at a particularly high frequency due to a lack of safe drinking water and sewage contamination due to damaged infrastructure. Occurrences of vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria, and rabies may also increase during the current emergency situation due to inadequate shelter.

Future Concerns

Longer-term public health concerns include environmental, reproductive, nutritional, and mental health risks. Interventions must be put into place quickly, and continued access to care needs to be assured for all Haitians affected by this disaster.

How HealthMap is Contributing

HealthMap began monitoring focused news feeds in seven languages to obtain breaking information, regarding public health related events in Haiti on January 14^th, 2010 please see: http://www.healthmap.org/haiti. We will continue to provide health alerts and other vital public health news regarding this natural disaster as it becomes available. If you are aware of any information that is not on our map, please add it via one of the HealthMap Community Contribution methods:

1. Leave a voice message or send an SMS text to the HealthMap Hotline at +1 919-MAP-1-BUG (919-627-1284)

2. Email your report to hotline@healthmap.org

3. Submit a form on our website (http://healthmap.org/ or http://healthmap.org/haiti)

4. Submit a report via the “Outbreaks Near Me” application available on both iPhone and Android

5. Post on Twitter with #healthmap

HealthMap is also linking to Partners in Health to assist in obtaining donations to support aid efforts in Haiti. The Partners in Health organization has a longstanding presence in Haiti, providing large-scale health care, development, job training and employment for Haitians. Donations can be made by clicking on the Partners in Health button on our Focus on Haiti website, or by visiting Partners in Health directly.

In the absence of national emergency management infrastructure, individual reports of neighborhood conditions can provide a mosaic of the crisis. Ushahidi provides highly detailed mapping of these accounts, including disease related news. You can visit http://haiti.ushahidi.com/main for all Ushahidi news reports, or http://www.healthmap.org/haiti for their health-related alerts.

Related articles (additional articles available at http://www.healthmap.org/haiti):

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HaitiEarthquake/haiti-earthquake-slams-local-hospitals-struggling/story?id=9554083

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8456233.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8465137.stm

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/14/content_12811437.htm

http://www.who.int/diseasecontrol_emergencies/publications/who_hse_gar_dce_2010_1/en/index.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60H5DV20100118

http://new.paho.org/disasters/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1099&Itemid=1

H1N1 (swine flu) weekly highlights: December 2 - December 8, 2009

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that "Disease activity has peaked and is declining in North America and has either recently peaked or is currently peaking in much of western and northern Europe." In other good news, WHO also reports no signs of widespread resistance to Tamiflu.

Nevertheless, the WHO has clearly stated it is too soon to call the pandemic over. The global death toll from H1N1 rose to 8,768 as Cyprus, Albania, and the Gaza Strip recorded their 1st H1N1 deaths. The Netherlands saw their first Tamiflu-resistant death.

In the United States, only half of all states reported widespread flu activity, down from 43 states only two weeks ago. England reported new cases were half of the previous week's number.


* Please note that this post will conclude our weekly H1N1 blogs. While the pandemic is far from over, reports of first cases and deaths are less common as H1N1 has spread throughout much of the globe. Numerous H1N1 vaccines have been developed in countries all over the world, and the vaccine shortages seen earlier this year have abated.

HealthMap continues to track H1N1 and all other infectious diseases at http://www.healthmap.org. For the latest disease alerts, you can also follow us on twitter. We hope the H1N1 blogs have been informative and helpful.


Photo courtesy of: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/04/AR2009120402611.html?hpid=sec-health

H1N1 (swine flu) weekly highlights: November 25 - December 1, 2009

Montenegro and Libya reported their 1st H1N1 deaths.

South Korea reported a suspect case of H1N1 reinfection in a young girl.

Reports have stated that the United States has likely reached its peak for H1N1, as only 32 of 50 states are now reporting widespread influenza activity.

While H1N1 may have peaked in parts of the Northern hemisphere, the number of deaths worldwide jumped by over 1,000 during the past week, reaching more than 7,800.

Transmission of the virus remains high in East Asia and Canada.

A large outbreak of H1N1 had been feared to occur during this year's Haj season, however only 73 cases and five deaths were reported.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported an increase in serious pneumococcal infections associated with H1N1 cases in the United States. The CDC also released new figures stating that as many as 34 million may have already been infected.

Finland confirmed human-to-pig transmission of the H1N1 virus, while a pig herd in Indonesia was also reported to be infected.

Photo: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5igd_tCu9zIdryTTRkslBF6I39nxw

H1N1 (swine flu) Weekly Highlights: November 18 - 24, 2009

Somalia reported its 1st cases of H1N1, while Lithuania, Switzerland, Macedonia, Maldives, Madagascar, Romania, Estonia, and Denmark reported their 1st deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) tallied over 525,000 H1N1 cases and about 6,750 deaths worldwide.

As the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported decreased flu activity in all regions of the US, the WHO noted the eastward spread of H1N1 across Europe and Asia.

Four H1N1 related deaths have been reported among pilgrims for the Hajj which starts on the 26th.

As immunization campaigns continue in over 40 countries, the WHO reiterated the safety of the H1N1 vaccine, adding that investigation into 40 post-vaccine deaths (among the over 65 million doses given in 16 countries alone) has found no association between the vaccine and the documented fatalities.

In a development not unexpected among experts, Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 clusters emerged among hospitalized patients with severe underlying medical conditions in Wales and North Carolina.

Norwegian scientists announced detection of a mutated H1N1 virus that may allow infection deeper into the airways leading to more severe disease. Hong Kong then reported the same mutation, and Finland saw it in July. The WHO subsequently stated that a similar mutation had been observed in six other countries as early as April. Despite the mutations, the H1N1 vaccine is still effective.

A single batch of H1N1 vaccine in Canada has been pulled after a higher than usual rate of severe allergic reactions.

CDC has confirmed a rare second H1N1 infection in the same individual in West Virginia.

In a study of US Army personnel, those who received the 2008 seasonal flu vaccine were 45% less likely to contract H1N1 and 62% less likely to be hospitalized if infected.

Photo source: http://www.examiner.com/x-29691-Boulder-Healthy-Living-Examiner~y2009m11d24-H1N1-Swine-Flu-Symptoms-Is-someone-on-your-flight-showing-flu-signs

H1N1 (swine flu) weekly highlights: November 11 - 17, 2009

Burundi and Greenland have reported their 1st cases of H1N1, while North Cyprus, Bosnia, Poland, Kosovo, Tunisia, and Morocco have reported their 1st H1N1 deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended early administration of antiviral medicines to prevent death in pregnant women, very young children, and people with underlying medical problems who fall ill with H1N1. Additionally, the WHO has warned of the dangers of H1N1 spreading rapidly at any big sporting or cultural events, as Saudi Arabia prepares for the arrival of 2.5 million pilgrims for the Hajj (November 25–29). Nine cases have already been diagnosed among the 500,000 early arrivals. Amidst recommendations that those with underlying health conditions delay their pilgrimage by a year, media reports predict a 40% reduction in attendance. Saudi Arabia is mandating vaccination for its citizens who will be participating, and many other countries are mounting widespread vaccination campaigns before the Hajj.

The United States CDC has released revised estimates for H1N1's impact in the U.S.: approximately 22 million infections and 3,900 deaths, including around 540 children.

New research suggests that more people may be able to fight off H1N1 influenza A than previously thought.

Some experts believe that this year's flu season is anything but typical, particularly as more children have already died from H1N1 flu complications than in any regular flu season in recent years.

Disputes have been ongoing over whether or not a new strain of the H1N1 virus has been circulating within the Ukraine. The WHO has stated that preliminary tests reveal no significant change to the H1N1 pandemic virus.

Photo: http://cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm

H1N1 (swine flu) weekly highlights: November 4 - 10, 2009

Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Slovakia, and St. Lucia reported their first H1N1 deaths, while Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Latvia, and Armenia reported their 1st cases of H1N1.

Last week, Ukraine (population 46 million) saw a first wave of H1N1 begin. Since last week's blog, the number infected has increased at least five-fold to 1.3 million sick and 174 dead. Neighboring Slovakia and Russia tightened their borders as Ukraine's outbreak spread.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that H1N1 has become the dominant influenza strain around the globe, as the number of deaths due to the virus passed 6,000 worldwide. In addition, the WHO has emphasized the need for doctors and veterinarians to work together to monitor animals as well as farm workers for H1N1 infection.

A pet cat in Iowa tested positive for H1N1. The cat is believed to have caught it from its owners.

Cases of H1N1 virus showing resistance to antiviral drugs are 'isolated and infrequent' according to the WHO.

Recent studies conducted by the California Department of Public Health have shown that H1N1 has disproportionately affected younger individuals, however people who are obese or elderly have a higher risk of death if they become infected.

A new study shows a benefit of combining H1N1 and seasonal influenza vaccines.

HealthMap is now providing Massachusetts state data for the new Google flu clinic finder.

Photo: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h00CIlceU0saqI6YM40N2ty4Huxw

H1N1 (swine flu) weekly highlights: October 28 - November 3, 2009

Afghanistan, Ukraine, Moldova, Croatia, Belarus, Slovenia, Austria, and the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Yukon reported their first H1N1 deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported the number of global H1N1 deaths jumped to over 5,700 worldwide.

In other statements, WHO reiterated that the vaccines are safe, that one dose is sufficient for adults and children over 10, and that pregnant women should be vaccinated since they are a high-risk group.

Researchers at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America reported that influenza vaccination of pregnant women was "85 percent effective in preventing hospitalization in their infants under 6 months of age." The study also indicated babies of vaccinated women were bigger, healthier and less likely to be premature.

Following last week's declaration of a national emergency in the US, New York state and the city of Philadelphia made similar declarations. This allows hospitals and local governments freedoms from certain restrictions during the emergency. HHS Secretary Sebilius suspended additional regulations relating to H1N1 treatment.

Long lines and vaccine shortages plagued H1N1 vaccine clinics throughout the United States and Canada.

As the number of US children who have died of H1N1 climbed to 114 and 48 states reported widespread flu, the CDC noted that only half of people who most need immediate treatment for H1N1 swine flu are actually seeking it.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-me-swine-flu-clinics4-2009nov04,0,3665600.story?track=rss