The purpose of this cross sectional study was to determine why US healthcare worker contracted diarrehea and what was the preventive care of practice that took place. An email when out to 896 participants from 50 US- based, health-focused non government organizations (NGO), which 381 completed the survey. Fifty-one percent reported caring for patient with diarrehea and 31 reported they contracted diarrehea. The Haitian Ministry of Public Health a Population identified 353 health-based NGOs working in Haiti. One hundred seventy-two respondents from the US-based that provided care in Haiti was chosen. One hundred and eighty-one was excluded due to invalid contact information, they were not based in the US or did not have any US volunteers. NGOs were asked to provide contact information for the 181 volunteers that met the criteria of being 18-year-old or …show more content…
One hundred sixty-six responders this were their first time providing medical training outside the US. For 85% percent this were their first time traveling to Haiti. The median duration of stay in Haiti was 8 days. Fifty-six percent reported providing care to Haitian with cholera. Diarrehea was reported by 31 percent (13 were trained MD/PA, 12 nurses, 2 allied health workers and 4 non medically trained personnel). One contracted cholera. Out of the ones reporting cases of diarrhea 17 took antibiotic, 4 sought out medical care, 2 received IV fluids and 1 was medically evacuated. Out of the 381 responders, 82% reported always washing their hands after caring for the patients and 51% reported lack of hand-washing supplies as the reason for not washing their hands. Three percent reported drinking or eating from unsafe sources. Ninety percent reported obtaining health and safe information and 64% visit a doctor in preparation prior to going to
Paul Farmer was born in Massachusetts in 1959, went to Harvard Medical School, became a doctor, and ended up living and working in Haiti. He co-founded an organization in 1987 called Partners in Health (PIH). The philosophy behind the organization is that everyone, no matter who or where has a right to health care. Paul Farmer and PIH have already made amazing progress in Haiti, Peru, and several other countries, helping people get the care they need. PIH’s website lists a detailed history of they and Farmer’s work in Haiti. When Paul Farmer first came to Cange, Haiti as a medical student in 1983, the place was in shambles. In 1956, a dam was built on the Artibonite River, flooding the village and forcing the residents to move up into the hills. Many of these displaced villagers were still essentially homeless after nearly thirty years, and had little access to quality health care. With the founding of the Zanmi Lasante clinic later in 1983, Farmer and his friend Ophelia Dahl set the people of Cange on the road to recovery by providing access to doctors, medicine, and emergency care, all completely free. (“Partners”) One of Farmer’s focuses was on tuberculosis (TB) and has had much success on this front. Through new studies and methods such as active case finding and community health workers, as well as his work with multidrug-resistant TB, Paul Farmer has revolutionized treatment of tuberculosis in Haiti and around the world.
The Dominic Republic currently has a capable and sufficient healthcare system for their citizens. However, the cost of healthcare across the board along with a moral obligation to assist Haitians access to care can be improved. I will address our tier healthcare system to assure access is available to all people on a basic level.
Health visitors may need to give information about hygiene to their patients to ensure they are safe and are preventing illness and diseases caused by bacteria and viruses which may harm vulnerable patients. For example patients with autoimmune disease will be very vulnerable to unhygienic and unsteralised places as their immune system attacks their normal cells as is can’t tell the difference bacteria and its own blood cells. Safety is a key part of the job, health visitors need to ensure how to keep safe in vulnerable places and how to keep patients safe, by learning what to so in dangerous situations such as an earthquake and knowing what are their responsibilities of the job. In addition, supporting parents and their kids’ on development and wellbeing and safety to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, supporting children with special needs and advising their parents on how to care for their wellbeing for parents to be able to support them appropriately with their needs for example ensuring they attempt to prevent injuries and accidents. Moreover, working with different social services and other organizations’ to safeguard and protect vulnerable children, adults and elderly patients to ensure they are safe and feel safe around their surroundings and environment. A
www.msh.org - Management Sciences for Health - Republic of Haiti. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2010, from http://www.msh.org/global-presence/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/Haiti.cfm
Many people resort to voodoo practitioners and leaf doctors for many reasons. Some reasons are more personal, and they want to receive healing by one of these healers because it is mainly through faith. However, some choose to go to folk healers because of convenience. Modern medicine is very uncommon in Haiti – the doctor patient ratio is 1/8,000. Even then, a majority of the health facilities that are in Haiti are understaffed and underfunded. (retrieved 11/14/13 from http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Haiti.html) Another reason this type of medical treatment is preferred, is that voodoo is a part of their religion. If they submit to their religion for medical help, they are relying on their faith. Relying on faith partly comes from the Christianity that has been incorporated into their religious practices. (retrieved 11/14/13 from http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Haiti.html)
During the industrial revolution household rubbish was frequently thrown into narrow streets and the air was filled with black smoke from the factory’s chimney. Dirty streets and cramped living were a perfect breeding space for diseases. More than 31,000 people died during an outbreak of cholera in 1832 and families were inflicted with typhus, smallpox, and dysentery. Most Families were living in houses in unsanitary terrible built homes. Meaning more ‘better’ homes had to be built. In the rush to build homes, many were constructed too quickly in terraced rows. Some of these houses had small yards at the rear were most toilets was placed. Others had ‘back to back’ communal toilets. The more people that were living in these states, it quickly
All four countries are undergoing an epidemiologic transition as treatment and control of infectious diseases continues to improve. However, the major issues that affect each country and how the country has responded to their problems are vastly different. It is funny, but in the midst of writing this reflection, I somehow found myself in a conversation with someone who was horrified by the quality of healthcare in “third world” countries. This assumption that poor countries have horrendous quality of healthcare is not uncommon. Fortunately, these assumptions are wrong. Though developing countries are facing the unique problem of operating a healthcare system in an environment with inadequate resources and public health infrastructures, they have managed to develop incredible solutions. In Latin America and the Caribbean, a combination international and national interventions has been so successful that these countries have the highest percentage of ART coverage in any low-to-middle-income countries (Garcia et al., 2014). Cuba’s WHO health ranking is 39, approximately the same as the U.S. and achieved at a fraction of the price. As countries shift into the third epidemiologic transition, many of the basic systems for obtaining medications and seeing health care professionals are already in place. These four have taken the first important step and declared that healthcare is a right for all, something that even the U.S. has failed to do. Though they must continue building upon their current infrastructure, they have the advantage of hindsight and seeing what has worked in other countries. As we have seen during our study of the U.S. and other OECD countries, there is no one perfect health system. However, I am confident that the health systems that emerge from these developing countries will be one that works for the
...A., Grey, K., & Gonzales-Eastep, D. (2006). Using a multicultural lens to understand illnesses among Haitians living in America. Professional Psychology; Research and Practice, 37(6),
Cholera is a water-borne disease caused by the spreading of toxins throughout the intestines by the Vibrio Cholerae bacterium. Bad hygiene and other unsanitary conditions such as contamination of food and water can result in this unpleasant infection. As stated in the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, “contamination starts when a person infected with cholera steps into a community water supply.” Cholera is more common in places with poor cleanliness and insufficient water treatment. These locations include environments consisting of brackish rivers and coastal waters such as an underdeveloped country like Africa. Cholera can affect anyone but is usually targeted at younger ch...
Cholera has been affecting humans for many centuries. Cholera is a severe gastrointestinal disorder that is characterized by severe diarrhea and vomiting. There have been many outbreaks of cholera noted historically, the most important occurring in 19th century England. In 1854, Dr. John Snow performed a study in London that led to his discovery of the disease’s main source. He was able to trace it to the poor sewer, waste, and water management from one of the major water sources of London residents, the “Broad Street pump”. When this water pump was removed, the deaths by cholera slowed and eventually stopped. Although he had not
In the Nepal’s example on the web, the child sickness was due to lack of education on food hygiene and lack of infrastructure (sanitation and drinking water). Thus, teaching the mother about treating water before drinking and the importance of hygiene in handling aliments would prevent the child diarrhea episode and even save the other son that died in the past from this disease.
As mentioned cholera is seen in developing countries, it is especially rampant in Sub-Sahara Africa and South East Asia. The main cause of Cholera having epidemic proportion in developing countries is due to unclean and infected water source. We can see Cholera running rampant in disaster and refugee setting where people are cramped in a small space and the unsanitary conditions. A study done by WHO in India has seen epidemic conditions of Cholera outbreaks. They mostly have a seasonal outbreaks, most of the cases are not reported and seem to be unregistered. Findings Of India's 35 states or union territories, 21 reported cholera cases during at least one year between 1997 and 2006. The state of West Bengal reported cases during all 10 years, while the state of Maharashtra and the union territory of Delhi reported cases during nine, and Orissa during seven. There were 68 outbreaks in 18 states, and 222 038 cases were detected overall. This figure is about six times higher than the number reported to WHO (37 783) over the same period. The states of Orissa, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam and Chhattisgarh accounted for 91% of all outbreak-related cases. India has problems with sewage management, food and water safety is not monitored.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholera (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/cholera/general/). Number of researches has been conducted and it has concluded that thousands of people are infected around the world. For more than two centuries, cholera has evaded some of the top scientist and still remains a threat to the world populations. A major cholera epidemic began in India in 1817, from India the disease spread to Russia, appearing at rapid speed and crossing all across the continent. Cholera is believed to originate in 1817 at the Ganges River in India and then later spread to other areas and regions due to poor removal of water mainly from British ships.
London, England. The.. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine n.d., Session 5: The role of the state. in global health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England. Ricci J.
Infants, young children, elderly people, and people with underlying health conditions are most likely to get cholera because of their high risk of dehydration. On top of that, in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water like Haiti, Southeast Asia, and Africa, cholera spreads very quickly. Cholera is a global disease that spreads to different countries by international travel or imported goods such as contaminated seafood. On a yearly basis, there are about 100,000...