Posts Tagged ‘Medical’
Cholera in Disaster Situations
From: http://new.paho.org/disasters/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=543&Itemid=660
Cholera is an intestinal infection caused by toxigenic Vibrio cholerae, group O-1 or O-139. Natural and man-made disasters which produce overcrowding, a scarcity of safe drinking water, improper elimination of human waste, and the contamination of food during or after its preparation are risk factors for the spread of the disease.
Description
In areas where cholera has not been confirmed, a suspected case is defined as severe dehydration or death from acute watery diarrhea in a patient over 5 years of age.
In areas where an epidemic is under way, a suspected case of cholera is defined as acute watery diarrhea, with or without vomiting, in a patient over 5 years of age.
Do you still drink from the water hose?
Drinking from a Water Hose. Not in Haiti.
It’s a statement you hear bantered around a lot by talking heads: “Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.” And yet, Haitians are, in large part, prevented from coming to the United States to try to escape that poverty.
A guy I know was conducting runs from Florida to Haiti and the DR, back and again, over and over again, right after the earthquake hit. He brought a ton of supplies in and a bunch of Haitians out on one of his flights. When he landed on this particular trip, he was held by ICE for “smuggling” Haitians into the country. Of course, he hadn’t intended to, because they had passports and visas stamped from the US Consulate in Port-au-Prince. Well, something went wrong and the they were turned away.
Listen, I’m not one for illegal immigration; I think it should be done properly. Though, in saying that, I can understand why someone might want to try their luck getting into the US. What I find interesting is, had they been Cubans, they would have likely qualified for political asylum. But because they’re not from an embargoed country, they are screwed.
Anyone coming to the US is doing so for one reason–to make a new life for themselves. Okay, in fairness, I’ll concede that there are small minorities of people who come here for nefarious reasons, such as terrorists, smugglers, and other criminals looking to either perpetrate more crime in our country, or to escape prosecution in theirs. But for the most part, the folks landing fresh off the boat or jumping over fences are doing so with good intentions. Again, I’m not for and do not support illegal immigration, all I’m saying is, let’s put it in perspective.
A garbage river in Haiti
My question is, why are we so diligent to return Haitians, but not Mexicans or others from the Americas who make their way across our border with Mexico? I find it strange that we will largely ignore people coming to work as migrant farmers and day laborers, who speak Spanish, and we’ll let in Cubans in once they land because they are considered political refugees (who also speak Spanish, ironically), but we’ll deport any Haitian who actually survives the 600 mile trip in shark infested waters, even if he is able to slap a wet, tired, and cold hand on the shore. In many respects, they should have the same status as Cubans, after all, for the last 30 years we’ve largely contributed to the political and economic violence that’s taken place in Haiti. All I’m saying is, why not be even handed? Why give Cuba special rights and not Haiti? Why even give them to Cuba in the first place? I’m just asking.
Let me explain my thoughts here. If we are going to give special dispensation to illegal immigrants who are able to touch land, like Cubans, it’s because there’s some special mitigating factor. With Cuba, it’s political. So if you make the trip and you get past the Coast Guard, you can then get that special status under the law. Well, here’s why Haitians should get it too.
