Public Health Concerns for Haiti Continues
The recent earthquake in Haiti has left the country in need of much international aid in the form of food, medical supplies, and helping hands. As this relief effort continues to pour in from countries around the world, public health researchers also continue to focus on providing basic public health care to the citizens of Haiti. Most of these research projects were begun before the earthquake struck Haiti. Now, after the tragedy, the researchers are returning to their original projects in order to provide relief to the general public in a sustainable way.
Iodine deficiency is one long-term chronic public health challenge that has troubled Haiti throughout its history. One in five Haitians die before reaching the age of 40 due to iodine deficiency. National surveys done by the World Food Programme show that 72% of children aged 6-12 in rural areas suffer from iodine deficiency. Almost 30,000 babies suffer of mental deficiencies because their mothers suffered from iodine deficiency during pregnancy.
With this influx of international aid, could it be safe for researchers to hope for a decrease in these numbers?
Iodine supplementation is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions in the world. Natural sources of iodine include sea life, such as kelp and certain seafood, as well as plants grown on iodine-rich soil. Iodized salt is fortified with iodine.
Unfortunately, public health interventions aimed at avoiding iodine deficiency in diets have not reached Haiti, mainly due to the lack of international attention prior to this natural disaster. Now, those passionate for Haiti’s recovery as well as growth look to solutions above and beyond providing short-term disaster relief to this country.
For more images of Haiti from Photoshare’s database, click here.
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Interstestd in Resources releated to Haiti Relief, check out the K4Health Haiti Relief Toolkit and follow the K4Health Blog for more about this resource.
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Lending a Helping Hand to the Island of Haiti
On January 12, 2010, after a devastating earthquake left Haiti and its people in shambles, the death toll continues to rise. Numbers range from 50,000 to 200,000 dead, as bodies continue to be recovered under rubble in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Countless humanitarian organizations, including the American Red Cross and Doctors without Borders, as well as politicians and public figures, rushed to provide much-needed aid to the poverty-stricken island. In addition to these efforts, media companies and photography groups here at home in America have also been lending a hand by publicizing and broadcasting countless images of the displaced people of Haiti - the dead bodies, crying children, homeless families - to an international audience.
We, at Photoshare.org, are continuing to compile a growing collection of images from Haiti before and after the earthquake that can be found here.
Other places to explore moving images and photos of Haiti and the aftermath of this disaster include:
The New York Times - click here.
The Boston Globe’s The Big Picture - click here.
The Associated Press Images - click here.
Doctors Without Borders - click here.
Please take the time to browse through these moving images of the unbelievable tragedy of this natural disaster, the worst earthquake in Haiti since almost 200 years ago.