Document Detail


Ambulatory care by disaster responders in the tent camps of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, January 2010.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20526133     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
On January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred approximately 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and created one of the worst humanitarian disasters in history. The purpose of this report is to describe the types of illness experienced by people living in tent camps around the city in the immediate aftermath of this event. The data were collected by a team of medical personnel working with an international nongovernmental organization and operating in the tent camps surrounding the city from day 15 to day 18 following the earthquake. In agreement with the existing literature describing patterns of illness in refugee and internally displaced populations, the authors note a preponderance of pediatric illness, with 53% of cases being patients younger than 20 years old and 25% younger than 5 years old. The most common complaints noted by category were respiratory (24.6%), gastrointestinal (16.9%), and genitourinary (10.9%). Another important feature of illness among this population was the observed high incidence of malnutrition among pediatric patients. This report should serve as a guide for future medical interventions in refugee and internally displaced people situations and reinforces the need for strong nutritional support programs in disaster relief operations of this kind.
Authors:
John P Broach; Mariah McNamara; Katherine Harrison
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Disaster medicine and public health preparedness     Volume:  4     ISSN:  1938-744X     ISO Abbreviation:  Disaster Med Public Health Prep     Publication Date:  2010 Jun 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-06-07     Completed Date:  2010-09-29     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  101297401     Medline TA:  Disaster Med Public Health Prep     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  116-21     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, MA 01655, USA. john.broach@umassmemorial.org
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Ambulatory Care / methods,  organization & administration*
Child, Preschool
Disease Outbreaks
Earthquakes*
Haiti
Humans
Infant
International Cooperation
Mass Casualty Incidents*
Mobile Health Units / organization & administration
Needs Assessment
Refugees*
Relief Work / organization & administration*
Sanitation / methods

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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