Overpopulation - Haiti Observer Blog

The chikungunya virus's first case was recorded in May in Haiti, and health clinic workers say they have diagnosed 40,000 cases of what they believe to be chikungunya. The symptoms of the virus are severe joint pain that immobilizes victims for days on end and dehydration. The most extreme cases advance to a stage of respiratory failure.

Chikungunya has spread throughout the Caribbean with cases documented in as many as 20 countries in the South Region. They include the Virgin Islands, Dominica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, French Guyana, and Suriname.

Researchers have yet to develop a vaccine, and pain medication is the only remedy available. But for poor folk medication like acetaminophen is too expensive. Authorities have been dispensing free pain medication to public health clinics to counteract pharmacies preying on the vulnerable to shell out their last gourde to stop the pain.

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Overpopulation on the globe has become a serious concern to governments. All sectors of society are affected: jobs, education, healthcare, and agriculture. In emerging nations, the phenomenon is more intensified. Weak economies cannot create sufficient employment opportunities to lift people out of poverty. Nowhere is this truer than in Haiti. On the index of failed states, the small island has difficulty gaining traction to provide employment, housing, education, and healthcare to 70% of its 10 million population.

The poor in Haiti have become so desperate they often take to the streets, setting cars on fire and erecting barricades to obstruct the flow of commerce to voice their indignation at what they are forced to endure. Much of the violence occurring in places like Port-au-Prince come from gang activity. The Haitian National Police try to manage it but between inadequate manpower and the underground nature of gang activity it is like treading water.

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