Photo by Olivier Asselin
By Raquel Corona-Parra
Health issues in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) were featured on Capitol Hill last week during two briefing sessions discussing the regional inequities in health and the cholera epidemic in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Tackling Health Inequity in Latin America
“Public Health in Latin America,” was hosted by Representative Sam Farr of California on Wednesday, October 23rd as part of an ongoing monthly briefing series called “Latin America on the Rise.” The series features a diverse group of speakers responsible for addressing emerging and emergent issues in the Western Hemisphere.
Dr. Carissa Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), said despite health achievements in the region, such as the elimination of polio and small pox and the recent WHO verification of onchocerciasis elimination in Colombia, the region remains characterized by significant health inequities.
“Despite the progress, the region is characterized by large differences in the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. This inequity among and within countries not only threatens the public’s health, it threatens human rights, economic prosperity, sustainable development, and stability throughout the region.”
Amanda Glassman, Director of Global Health Policy and Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development, spoke primarily of the reasons behind the health inequities among and within LAC countries. She stressed that poor health and nutrition are a serious concern, especially considering that health is a main driver of growth and security. Innovative policies are in place to address these issues, such as conditional cash transfers and the Salud Mesoamerica 2015 Initiative (a collaboration between the Carlos Slim Health Institute, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Inter-American Development Bank). However, more needs to be done, and she called on the government of the United States to increase its involvement with these issues in a framework of cooperation.
Conquering Cholera in Haiti and the Dominican Republic
The event on Thursday October 24th, titled “Conquering Cholera in Haiti and the Dominican Republic: The Untold Story of Progress,” provided members of Congress, their staff and partners in health issues an update on the status of the control efforts of the cholera epidemic on the Island of Hispaniola.
The cholera outbreak in Haiti and the Dominican Republic began in late 2010 – just a few months after the catastrophic earthquake devastated Haiti. Prior to this outbreak, cholera had not been reported in Haiti for more than 100 years. Around 715,000 people have gotten sick from the disease and more than 8,000 deaths have been attributed to the epidemic – with cases spreading to Cuba and Mexico.
Dr. Carissa Etienne stressed that although the oral cholera vaccine has helped, improvements in water and sanitation are essential for the epidemic to be stopped.
The event was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Karen A. Goraleski, Executive Director of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Panelists included Dr. Katherine Bliss (Center for Strategic & International Studies), Dr. Rick Gelting (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Dr. Ralph Ternier (Partners In Health) and Elynn Walter (WASH Advocates).
As a response to the epidemic, several initiatives and programs were formed to tackle disease surveillance, food safety and access to clean water and sanitation throughout the region. For example, the Regional Coalition for Water and Sanitation to Eliminate Cholera in the Island of Hispaniola was formed in January 2012. Additionally, both Haiti and the Dominican Republic have developed National Plans for the elimination of cholera within each country, with support from PAHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). DINEPA (National Directorate for Water Supply and Sanitation or Direction Nationale d’Eau Potable et d’Assainissement), along with multiple partners, is also working to improve the water and sanitation infrastructure in Haiti, where 69% of the population has access to an improved water source and only 17% had access to sanitation in 2010.
These improvements in the infrastructure will also help reduce and eliminate other infectious diseases such as lymphatic filariasis (LF). LF, or elephantiasis, is a debilitating disease that is spread by mosquitoes and causes extreme swelling of the extremities. A group of Global Network partners are making significant progress in LF control and elimination efforts in Haiti. The partnership includes the Haitian government, the CDC, CBM, IMA World Health, the University of Notre Dame and the Envision Project, managed by RTI International and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. We believe it is partnerships like these – which are focusing on controlling and eliminating pervasive diseases of poverty like LF and cholera – that are enabling entire communities to break the cycle of poverty and disease.