Tuberculosis Threat in Haiti--November 29, 2024
My Comments in 2024—
Tuberculosis is still a big threat in Haiti. Haiti's TB prevalence is 254/100,00 compared to the US which is 2.9/100,000. A decade ago in Port au Prince, screening in an urban camp for internally displaced people (IDP) and a slum showed that the prevalence in these vulnerable populations might range from 380 to 1,350 per 100,000 persons.
Government spending on the healthcare sector has always been low, and now the State has completely collapsed.
The social determinants of health are primarily responsible for tuberculosis in Haiti. Poor people get tuberculosis, spread tuberculosis, and die from tuberculosis.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5030475/#sec4
jc
—
Tuberculosis: an explosive threat in Haitian displaced persons camps
By Lanois Camilus ALCIDOR
https://vantbefinfo.com/tuberculose-une-menace-explosive-dans-les-camps-de-deplaces-haitiens/
Port-au-Prince, Thursday November 29, 2024
Tuberculosis is spreading at an alarming rate in Haiti's displaced persons camps, warns Dr. Jean-Ardouin Louis-Charles. The doctor, medical director of the Sanatorium hospital, warns of a health time bomb that is a direct consequence of overcrowding and precarious living conditions in these camps.
According to him, the mass exodus of populations fleeing gang violence has made the situation worse. "The promiscuity, the unsanitary conditions and the lack of appropriate care create fertile ground for the spread of endemic diseases, including tuberculosis," he said.
Hospital under gang control
The health situation is all the more critical because the Sanatorium hospital, which specializes in treating tuberculosis, is now in the hands of gangs. They control the center, steal, loot and destroy equipment. Staff are prevented from accessing it, and medical students can no longer continue their studies, deplores Dr. Louis-Charles.
This climate of violence not only compromises access to care, but also efforts to combat the disease. The doctor fears an increase in cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis, exacerbated by the interruption of treatment.
Emergency consultations moved
Despite the occupation of the hospital, the medical team continues to mobilize. Temporary consultations have been set up at 32, Rue Berne, while waiting to find a new suitable space. Dr. Louis-Charles recalls that Haiti is one of the countries most affected by tuberculosis in the Caribbean region.
With approximately 700,000 displaced people living in deplorable sanitary conditions, the country is at major risk of a health disaster. The alarm has been sounded: without rapid intervention by the authorities and the international community, Haiti could face a health crisis of unprecedented magnitude.
—
John A. Carroll, MD
www.haitianhearts.org