Last January, after the quake, I tried to find online health resources for Haiti and got nowhere. But when cholera broke out in mid-October, suddenly the resources were everywhere. So for the last month I've neglected dengue, malaria, HIV and many other ills that flesh is heir to, and focused on cholera in Haiti.
It's been very instructive, and reminded me of my high-school philosophy teacher Mr. Kennedy. "The more you learn," he told us back in 1958, "the more you realize how ignorant you are." The past 52 years have been one long demonstration of his wisdom.
My ignorance of Haiti is especially profound. But I'm learning a few things as I follow bloggers, tweeters, and UN agencies—not to mention the mainstream media who've brought their attention back to the island. In no particular order, here are some of my tentative findings:
•Outsiders in Haiti are working their asses off—partly because they really love Haiti and the Haitians, and partly because they think its misery is an offence against nature. This is true of the religious as well as the secular helpers.
•People on the ground are not very happy with their bureaucratic supporters, whether in NGOs, the UN, or governmental agencies. The bureaucrats, meanwhile, are working hard to show the world that they're working hard, and therefore deserve praise and donations. Their self-promotion fills up more websites than I can count.
•The Haitians themselves are eloquent and exasperated about what outsiders are doing to their country. The outsiders seem to be willing to do anything for Haiti except let it stand up and make its own choices.
•Outside agencies are (perhaps understandably) focused on symptomatic relief. They're screaming for more IV tubes, more oral rehydration solution, pedialytes, and so on. Rudimentary water-supply and sewage systems would have forestalled this whole disaster. When the agencies finally come up for air, they should be screaming for reservoirs, aqueducts, and wastewater-treatment facilities.
I'll wrap up this self-imposed snap quiz with some selected stats on Haiti, Cuba, the US and Canada from the WHO 2010 World Health Report. They've given me a sense of the magnitude of the problem. This is indeed an offence against nature.
Percentage of children under 5 who are underweight: Haiti 18.9. Cuba: 3.9. US: 1.9.
Under-five mortality rate (probability of dying by age 5 per 1000): Haiti 72. Cuba 6. US: 8.
Measles coverage among 1-year-olds (%): Haiti 58. Cuba 99. US 92.
Maternal mortality per 100,000 live births: Haiti 670. Cuba 45. US 11. Canada 7.
Births attended by skilled health personnel (%): Haiti 26. Cuba 99. US 99.
Adolescent fertility rate (per 1000 girls aged 15-19): Haiti 69. Cuba 42. US 41. Canada 14.
Prevalence of HIV among adults aged 15-49(%): Haiti 2.2. Cuba 0.1. US 0.6.
Population using improved drinking-water sources (%): Haiti 63. Cuba 94. US 99. Canada 100.
Population using improved sanitation (%): Haiti 17. Cuba 91. US 100.
Life expectancy (born 2008): Haiti males 60, females 64. Cuba males 76, females 79. US males 76, females 81. Canada males 79, females 83.
