Health - Haiti Observer Blog

It's no longer a possibility. Zika virus has landed in Haiti. Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has confirmed cases of the the virus Zika in Haiti. Based on a lab test conducted recently in Trinidad and Tobago on 11 people in Haiti, the result confirmed that five of the Haitian blood samples tested positive for the disease. Zika causes mild symptoms such as fever, sometimes rash, conjunctivitis and headache. Zika can lead to birth defects and miscarriage to pregnant women. Three-quarters of people infected with the virus don't even notice it.

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Zika fever is an illness caused by the Zika virus. Its symptoms are similar to Dengue fever or Chikungunya but in a milder form and it usually last for four to seven days. The first known case of Zika fever was noticed on a ' rhesus monkey' in the Zika Forest in Uganda in 1947. The early evidences of human infection were reported from African countries such as such as Uganda, Tanzania, Egypt and Asian countries like India, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, etc. The virus is mostly transmitted by daytime active mosquitoes, but it can be sexually transmitted between humans as well.

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It's like dealing with Cholera which was a gift from MINUSTAH to the Haitian people was not enough. We also had recent outbreaks of Chikungunya, Dengue and our major health scare about Ebola. Still we now have something new to deal with, the Zika virus infection. As a result of recent warning by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) of cases of Zika virus infection in our region, the Minister of Public Health in Haiti has implemented early warning system to detect potential cases of the Zika infection in the Haitian population. Mosquitoes are considered to be the primary vectors of the virus. So far all specimens of mosquitoes, tested have turned out negative.

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Some people would say that the solution to all our problems is in our head. Michael Wahl who is a 40-year-old missions pastor while in Haiti, witnessed the way a woman had to deal with her child's feces and thought there has to be a better way. Michael Wahl took it on his own to find a solution and came up with Reusable diapers help babies in Haiti .

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Michael Wahl is a 40-year-old mission's pastor who has dedicated his life for ensuring healthy and sanitary living of the people in the developing nations. He has helped to bring filtered water in some of the poorest part of Haiti where there was no water or bathrooms. When he witnessed the unhygienic disposal of infants' fecal matter, he came up with an idea of reusable diaper and created 'DriButts Reusable Diaper' with his wife Starla E Wahl to help the children in the underdeveloped villages stay healthy. During his visit in last September, Michael Wahl, the founder of DriButts, has distributed 720 reusable diapers to 360 families in the villages in Leogane. Two diaper for each family-- enough to last an infant for two years. This would prevent fecal matter contamination of food and water and uncontrolled spread of diseases like dysentery, typhus fever, cholera, and typhoid.

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Many Haitians are believer of "remed fey" or "bush medicine". They knew the use of cure-to-all medicinal plant Asosi or cerasee or corailee in English which grows all over South Florida, especially in abundance during the rainy season. It is also known as the bitter gourd or bitter cucumber in Asia, South America and the Middle East.

The magic healing power of this green plant with five point leaves is not a secret; it is known to many habitants of South Florida's Caribbean community. Cacheta is not alone; many inhabitants of Miami with Caribbean origin grow this magic herbal plant in their backyards and call it as the "King of the Forest". They do not consider it as an annoying weed; rather consider this as a remedy for just about every ailment.

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It has been reported that there is a major problem going on in Petion-Ville where people have died after becoming blind. At least 8 cases of death have been reported in Petion-Ville after they had consumed alcohol that seems to be mixed with other deadly chemicals. What has been observed is that the people who had consume this particular alcohol became blind immediately before they die.

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This was reported by the Executive agent of the Commune of Petion-Ville on Wednesday, November 4. The direction of epidemiology as conducted some preliminary tests of the product. The Minister of Public health in Haiti hat taken charge of the situation and they already sent some samples in the United States for more testing

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Now that Cuba and the U.S. have resumed diplomatic relationships following 50-plus years of non-cooperation between the two, the Haitian healthcare system will benefit from the U.S.-Cuba medical partnership. This September a delegation of doctors and diplomats from both countries arrived in Haiti to visit hospitals, where free medical care is being provided by U.S. and Cuban doctors already on the ground.

Deputy Chief of Mission at the Port-au-Prince U.S. Embassy, Brian Shukan, acknowledged Cuba's commitment to improving the lives of poor Haitians with free medical care. It is a legacy that has lasted decades and strengthened beneficial bonds existing between the nations.

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Caribbean Biotechnologies Inc. (CBT), a Puerto Rican company has been given approval by the Haitian Ministry of Health to conduct clinical studies to test its new technology for the instantaneous detection of Tuberculosis in Haitian patients.

As per the company's claim, it uses a revolutionary technique, a patented method of optical detection, which instantly detects some of the airborne transmitted diseases like TB. The CBT will conduct its study from the fall 2015 in partnership with International Child Care's Grace Children's Hospital. As per USAID report, Haiti has the highest burden of tuberculosis (TB) in the Americas. It is the country's greatest infectious cause of mortality in both youth and adults (6,814 deaths in 2007). However, it is estimated that nearly 40% of people with TB disease remain undiagnosed.

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Haiti never had a comprehensive health system that could eliminate its multiple health threats. Its health care system always attempts to address immediate public health needs. Since the beginning of the epidemic in 2010, cholera remains a major threat in Haiti, very little has been done to improve the conditions that could enable the continued spread of the disease.

In Haiti, 'Malarial areas' are mainly rural and below 500 meters of altitude, the risk is lower in coastal areas. There are many reported cases of diseases transmitted by food, water or through the environment and transmitted by contact with infected people. It is one of the poorest countries in the Americas, where around 3/4th of the population live on less than $2.00 a day who cannot even pay their transportation cost to reach their nearest health center.

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Have you ever heard that from a Haitian parents referring to a child? " Samble ou giyin yon vè k'ap manje'ou". In another term, "It seems like you have intestinal parasites that is eating you. According to a survey conducted recently this is the case in 25 percent of the cases.

The Minister of Public health and Population in Haiti published a report that shows based on survey done for children between the ages of 6 and 15, about 25 percent of Haitian children are suffering from intestinal worms.

Intestinal worms are parasites that usually infect the gastro-intestinal tract and can live throughout the body and can cause many problem to a developing child.

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