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November 30, 2010, Updates from the mission
In nearly 16 years in Haiti, and I've often thought "here we hit the bottom, so it could not get worse" and every time I had to change his mind. 2010 will definitely remain in the annals of this country as the year of the plagues of Egypt. Bon, I do not know if it will be the case but I would call it so. Now you're fighting against an enemy silent and fleeting. Not quick in the execution of his plan, but relentless in the result. An enemy that after all is not even difficult to defeat, but he found his ideal ground for how people live here.
I'm talking about the cholera. The first cases were reviewed on October 10 in a rural area and central Somalia, where a river, the Artibonite, which has the same name also to the region.
The river water and life. In these rural areas people will drink the river, is to eat, bathe, wash clothes, The river irrigates the earth ....... and no doubt a blessing, but can become also a means of transmission of some deadly disease and in fact the story goes (and if I do not know the truth, are things you read in the papers and websites) that this cholera, unknown before in Haiti, and was sent right through the water of this river from a base of Nepalese UN soldiers who discharged the sewage near the source of the river itself. It seems to have confirmed that the Nepalese are healthy carriers of the germ of cholera and cholera was totally unknown here before. This makes me think about how they were exterminated the inhabitants 'original' island, Quisqueya the Indians when the Spaniards discovered this land. To decimate was not slavery and violence of the conquistadores but rather the cold.
So, without making it too long, from October 10 to date, cholera has made almost 2,000 dead and thousands of infected mainly just in the central north of the country, which is a largely rural area . Now it seems that the epidemic in that area is under control as several NGOs have organized field hospitals and an information campaign addressed to the population.
It was hoped that the cholera would not enter the capital but it was impossible not to happen. And the people here in the capital 'Whispered' about something without talking too much of cholera. The image is that of a child who whistles while going through a park in the dark of night ...... whistle to chase away the fear. A still do not talk too much about the cholera in the local news. It is not the result that there are hundreds of cases found. I'm aware because I know people who work in the field of health and report to me. Their fear and pandemonium breaks out soon here in the capital. That no matter what measures they can take several NGOs, cholera and now also in the bell-and two tent cities and shanty towns, and having regard to the sanitary conditions in which people live, a real and imminent mayhem.
So, as I understand, the worst is yet to come .......... of course I hope that these doctors and priests and nuns with whom I spoke are wrong, they're a bit too far but only time will give an answer to my question.
Meanwhile, we see the rise of huge structures that look like giant sheds made of wood and metal, usually fenced and complete with barbed wire. I was told that these are field hospitals where they will welcome the almost certain future cholera hospital in the capital. A bit like Lazzareto a time. I've seen 3 in our area but certainly there will be many more scattered everywhere especially in the vicinity of tent camps or slums or very poor areas, where the infection is definitely easier.
What I feel as a problem and the fact that there seems a sort of central agency that monitors the progress of the disease and coordinate the action to be taken. The Ministry of Health did not do logistical staff on the ground or resources to coordinate everything. We say that a number of NGOs working in the field of health are moving and it seems that the lion's face Medicines sens Frontieres.
Father Rick told me that you have to deal with the fears and ignorance of the people. In his hospital, there are already more than a hundred cases and cases are handled in a tent camp set up in a suburban area of \u200b\u200bthe land where his children's hospital there. He says people are afraid to bring the sick by taxi or motorcycle and you are creating gradually a phobia against those who have cholera. In several cases they are actually removed, just as it was infected with the plague in the Middle Ages or the lepers in certain countries. Yet a doctor has assured me that if cholera and got just now occurs in 95% of the cases it heals without problem
Port-au-Prince and a great place because cholera can proliferate. The city was already an earthquake even before the open dump ........... and do not want to offend and that was really so. Rubbish everywhere. After the earthquake, the situation has become even more tragic in these tent cities and shanty towns, people are living in truly appalling conditions and therefore all the "ideal vehicle" to the contagion.
In our mission we also do a lot of attention to many details and now we have not had any case, it among the people living in its mission among children in schools. I'm tempted to tell the truth to stop the mess for a couple of months because I know that the conditions igieniche non sono delle piu ideali.......ma aspetto ancora qualche giorno. Il cibo e preparato bene e la cucina, anche se non brilla, ha condizioni igieniche accettabili. Ma i bambini mangiano in classe ed e difficilissimo prendersi cura che tutti si lavino le mani prima di mangiare, che tutti mangino con cucchiaio e non con le mani come sono abituati a casa, e che tutti abbiano piatti e cucchiai puliti al 100%. Dovremo avere dei fondi a disposizione per costruire una mensa e poi sara piu facile organizzare in modo che delle misure igieniche accettabili siano rispettate.
All’alzabandiera del mattino, quando tutti i bambini sono riuniti, il direttore da delle istruzioni d’igiene di base ai bambini, e poi nella classe gli insegnanti continuano ogni tanto a dare informazioni e misure igieniche da prendere sia nella scuola che a casa. Non c’e molto piu che possiamo fare per ora. Da qui in avanti puo succedere di tutto e niente. Puo darsi che non succeda proprio nulla (ed e la mia speranza) come puo darsi che potremo essere costretti a chiudere la scuola per un tempo.......non so, viviamo alla giornata.
Comunque e un periodo veramente un po drammatico per il paese. In mezzo a tutto questo pandemonio del colera ecco che si dovevano fare anche le elezioni.........Certo che e un paese anche un po tragicomico. Domenica sera, dopo le elezioni, ci sono state several demonstrations to protest the 'Maguy' (cheating) perpetrated a bit everywhere in the polling stations in the capital. It was said that Monday morning there would be riots, and so it was with processions, burning tires, throwing stones at police cars or Minustha .......... but all were quiet in the afternoon because there was football match Barcelona - Real Madrid !!!!!!! It almost think that if there is nothing special to do, then you go into the city to disorder ...........
We are now Tuesday morning and at 7am, the school would resume today unless something unexpected, let's see. There is a nice profumo nell’aria del gelsomino in fiore nel cortile sotto, il sole brilla bello e chiaro nel cielo blu e pulito........fa bene ogni tanto alzare gli occhi al cielo e vedere quanto siamo piccoli e fragili su questa terra. Anche oggi avra il suo clamore, le sue voci, i suoi profumi, le sue gioie e le sue pene.........e anche oggi passera quando il sole pacatamente se ne andra a dormire e la luna verra a cullare il nostro sonno. Il tempo di un respiro e sara gia domani. Ciao, Maurizio
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