‘Worst Is Yet to Come’ in Haiti
Partners In Health Readies Response to Expected Spike in Cholera Cases, Disease Outbreaks and Other Devastation in Wake of Hurricane Matthew
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Marvin, Media Relations Manager
jmarvin@pih.org
BOSTON (October 5, 2016)—Partners In Health (PIH) is working with its team in Haiti to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, which is the most powerful weather system to punish the country in years.
As the largest nongovernment health care provider in Haiti, serving an area of 4.5 million people with a staff of more than 5,700, PIH and Zanmi Lasante—its sister organization in Haiti—were there for the Haitian people in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated the nation in 2010. Now, they stand ready to help the country deal with the deadly repercussions of Hurricane Matthew in the days, weeks and years to come.
“Though the storm has passed, experience tells us that the worst is yet to come,” said Dr. Charles-Patrick Almazor, chief medical officer in Haiti for Partners In Health. “This is a nation in the throes of one of the world’s most devastating cholera outbreaks, and that is only going to get worse in the aftermath of this storm.”
“We are still in the early days. We haven’t heard from whole areas of the island. People are waiting for word as to whether whole villages have survived.”
“Our infrastructure in Haiti is in place, and we are working with our partners to make sure we are ready for what is to come, in particular, treating and caring for patients with cholera,” continued Dr. Almazor.
Click here to read more from PIH on the expected rise in cholera cases.
Partners In Health will continue to keep the international community updated on relief efforts. Follow live updates from PIH on Twitter at twitter.com/PIH.
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Partners In Health is an international medical organization that helps build and sustain public health systems in poor and underserved communities around the world. Launched in Haiti in 1987, Partners In Health today reaches 7 million people around the world and employs 18,000 people, including 15,000 local community health workers. Learn more about our work at www.pih.org.
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