So it takes a different internal effort to see adults as deserving our care and attention, doesn't it? These Fiordland Penguins are doing pretty well, all things considered in the modern world: Although their population is small, they are only considered "vulnerable," the mildest rating on the scope of endangered creatures.
I suppose the same word could be said for the population of Haiti: vulnerable. In a location where storms have stripped away the protections that used to exist, things are still tough. I'm expanding my knowledge base today, considering this letter that arrived recently from Partners In Health:
Dear Elizabeth,
As you may be aware, a second wave of cholera is battering Haiti. What you may not know is just how severe it is. The numbers are dramatic:
In April, the cholera clinics we support treated 3,932 patients.
In June, these same clinics treated 14,425 patients.
The reason for this spike is simple. Flash floods—a side effect of the rainy season, deforestation, and decades of ineffective foreign aid—have spread the disease among water sources. In the absence of water and sanitation systems, or in many cases even basic latrines, cholera runs unchecked.Faced with a crisis that strains their capacity to the breaking point, the staff of Zanmi Lasante, Partners In Health’s Haitian sister organization, continue to demonstrate astounding stamina and strength. In a recent message posted on the PIH blog Dr. Louise Ivers, who has long helped lead our efforts in Haiti, underscored the urgency:“The Mirebalais cholera treatment center saw five times as many patients in June as in May. Alerts are the norm again—with emails and text messages reporting areas with minimal access to services suffering from high numbers of cases. Zanmi Lasante’s community teams are on high alert—spending hours on foot to reach difficult, isolated places, providing oral rehydration solution, training community health workers, distributing water purification tablets, disinfecting houses—but it is never enough. The cholera treatment centers were overwhelmed last month and although staff are dedicated, hardworking and committed, it is never enough. Once again, Zanmi Lasante is back in crisis mode, doing whatever we can to address the issues at hand, but it is never enough.
Since last year, we’ve been advocating to use all of the possible tools against cholera in a complementary and comprehensive way to reduce deaths and to minimize the impact of the disease…We are delighted that our proposal, in collaboration with GHESKIO (a Haitian, Port-au-Prince based NGO), to pilot the use of cholera vaccine in Haiti was supported last week by the Pan American Health Organization. Now we have to set about securing doses of the vaccine and implementing the project with the Haitian government.”Today, I’m writing to ask for your help in raising public awareness of this crisis.
PIH/ZL cannot end the cholera epidemic alone. But with your help we can ensure that Haiti stays in the hearts and minds of the United Nations officials, international donors, and the millions of Americans who donated following the January 12, 2010 earthquake.
Learn more about cholera in Haiti and how it can be stopped:http://act.pih.org/choleraupdate
Sincerely,
Andrew Marx
Director of Communications
Partners In Health
Penguins, people, vulnerability, compassion. That's a lot to think about for one morning. "Wear the world like a loose garment." Sometimes it's "enough" to simply absorb more information. For me, this is a day for learning more.
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