January 29, 2010. Fears of disease outbreak escalate amid medicine shortages in Haiti

SOURCE:

Corporate Risk International

Medical workers in the country warned on January 28th that antibiotics and painkillers were running dangerously low at several hospitals and clinics, as doctors continued to be inundated with injured patients. Additionally, authorities warned of a malaria outbreak, noting that there has been a surge of patients with the disease, but anti-malaria drugs are limited. In Leogane, there have been a growing number of cases of tetanus and measles.

Meanwhile, tremors on January 27th caused additional damages to Port-au-Prince's only usable pier, hampering efforts to offload humanitarian aid. U.S. troops created three small artificial beaches at the harbor to begin offloading containers.

Separately, crowds of survivors mobbed three food distribution sites in the capital, sparking chaos as UN peacekeepers were forced to fire warning shots when they feared people may be trampled. In the Cite Soleil slum, some men reportedly threw stones at UN soldiers handing out food. However, authorities say the majority of food distribution efforts have remained peaceful.

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