Extensive flooding has destroyed homes and ruined water supplies in Gonaïves, northern Haiti.
Photo by Francois Servranckx/MSF
In a fortnight that included Tropical Storm Gustav, Hurricane Hanna and Hurricane Ike, many areas in Haiti are still inaccessible.
Since arriving in the Haitian city of Gonaives on September 4, MSF teams have carried out 641 medical consultations and performed 25 surgical procedures. Half of the people screened so far by MSF have suffered at least minor injuries. The remaining patients are suffering from diarrhea (and related dehydration), respiratory diseases, infections, and skin problems linked to polluted water.
With floodwaters now receding slightly, people are beginning to return to Gonaives, adding additional pressure to already strained health and sanitation facilities. Temporary clinics in some schools are lacking basic materials and equipment and MSF teams, having donated medical materials, now plan to open a field hospital.
At the Rabouteau Health Center in Gonaives, MSF had carried out over 150 consultations as of 10 September. One third of the people examined were children under five years of age. Two water bladders have also been set up at the centre to provide clean drinking water, which is in very short supply in the city.
Access to other hurricane-affected areas outside of Gonaives is extremely difficult; roads and airstrips are flooded, bridges are destroyed, and there is a general lack of fuel, which is reducing, if not preventing, relief assistance from reaching many parts of the country. MSF is doing its best to access these areas to provide adequate care to affected populations and to monitor the health situation.