14 DAY TRIAL // On top of the physical devastation brought by this unprecedented U.S. natural disaster, there is growing concern about the health of thousands of survivors.
The director of the Pan American Health Organization ( PAHO ), Dr. Mirta Roses, today conveyed her condolences for the loss of human life to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt and offered PAHO's experience and assistance in dealing with the disaster's aftermath The magnitude of potential health problems that can result from widespread flooding in extensive areas with high population density has been documented by disaster experts at PAHO and other national and international agencies. PAHO has a program dedicated to protecting and assisting populations affected by natural disasters, such as those along the U.S. Gulf Coast now suffering the effects of Katrina.
One of the more tragic aspects of Katrina is the growing number of casualties. Survivors and news reports tell of bodies floating in the floodwaters of New Orleans and in other affected areas.
However, contrary to some media reports, the bodies of natural disaster victims do not themselves pose a risk of epidemics.
PAHO has published a manual titled Management of Dead Bodies in Disaster Situations, which describes in detail appropriate procedures in this area, taking into account ethical, cultural and human rights concerns.
Other impacts that are difficult to quantify, but which are of utmost importance, are those on the mental health of the affected population. Depression, anxiety, and grief are among the mental health problems that may affect thousands of victims in New Orleans and other areas hit by the hurricane and subsequent flooding.
The federal government declared a public health emergency in the Gulf Coast, promising medical centers and thousands of doctors and nurses for the affected area. Patients requiring treatment beyond what the medical shelters can provide will be transported to hospitals out of the immediate area.
In New Orleans, a city of 500,000 people, there are estimated to be some 5000 patients who require kidney dialysis at least twice a week. Local officials estimate it could take weeks for drinking water service to be restored in the city, as well as electricity.
PAHO, established in 1902, is the oldest public health organization in the world. It is the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization and works with the countries in order to improve the health and the quality of life of its inhabitants.