(U) NCMI assesses with high confidence that health care in Haiti is by far the poorest in the Western Hemisphere and on par with that of the less developed African countries. Furthermore, health care availability and accessibility, trauma care, and medical logistics are inadequate to respond to and mitigate the current disaster. Port-au-Prince inpatient and trauma capacity is already overburdened. Haiti is still recovering from the 2008 hurricane season, and the 12 January earthquake only worsened the already poor health situation and damaged the country’s already degraded health care system, which will require years to rebuild. Although major outbreaks of infectious diseases are unlikely as a result of the earthquake, incidences of diarrhea, respiratory diseases, and other infectious diseases likely will increase among local populations. Fires and explosions at facilities storing petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) are the greatest industrial chemical health threats. Chemicals released from damaged POL facilities are expected to cause localized contamination of soil and surface water.
Read more →