By Howard Cincotta
Washington – As aftershocks continue to roll through earthquake-ravaged Haiti, Pan American Health Organization officials report progress in providing expanded medical care, while acknowledging that thousands are still in desperate need of care.
More than 50 medical teams from different nations and humanitarian organizations are now providing health services to the Haitian people, along with nine field hospitals equipped to handle surgical patients, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
One positive development, says PAHO, is that there have been no outbreaks of communicable diseases to date, although the threat remains. The United Nations says it has been able to increase shipments of drugs and medical supplies within the country.
Another U.S. agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has joined the relief effort and has 16 medical professionals and other specialists in Haiti to begin planning for Haiti’s long-term public health needs.
CDC staff members have already joined health teams with PAHO, the Haitian Ministry of Health, U.S. Agency for International Development, and what are known as incident response coordination teams.
The capacity for treating sick and injured Haitians has also increased as a U.S. Navy hospital, the USNS Comfort, anchored off Port au Prince. The Comfort is a 272-meter floating hospital with 12 operating rooms and 1,000 treatment and recovery beds.
In its most recent message, sent via Twitter, the Comfort reported that the ship admitted 63 patients, performed 59 surgeries, and delivered one baby in the last 24 hours.
