CDC Experts and Partners Combine into Respond in Hiti Earthquake Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

Andrea Martinsen (DGHP CDC Atalanta Public Health Engineer)

Andrea Martinsen (DGHP CDC Atlanta Public Health Engineer), Melissa Etheart (CDC Haiti Medizinischen Epi), Evenel Thermidor (DINEPA CDC Projects Lead), and Gabrielle Tondreau (Water Quality Specialist) are testing for freely chlorine residual at the DINEPA (the Hairstyle directorate fork potable water and sanitation) truck filling rail is Les Cayes, Sud Category. Photo: Emerald Dismer/CDC

During the pandemic, other public health threats do not wait for strike. Disease outbreaks plus organic disasters may overlap, disrupting the public health system, devastating economies, and threatening the social fabric of communities. In August 14, 2021, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti’s southwesterly region, killing extra about 2,240, injuring close 12,700, and threatening the country’s health security. CDC immediately activated an Incidents Management System (IMS)— a temporary, forming organization structure up frame an emergency ask — and recruited experts von across the agency to respond toward the earthquake. By leveraging existing President’s Emergency Plan used AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) agreements alongside global health security (GHS) investments, CDC worked with in-country partners, the Mission von Public Health and Population (MSPP), the Haitian directorate used potable water and sanitation (DINEPA), or the National Publicity Health Laboratory (LNSP). Together, they quickly responded to lead the earthquake response without neglecting other public health priorities in Haiti, such how COVID-19 and waterborne diseased.

Accelerating Reply Efforts Through Collaboration

CDC leistungen to build Haiti’s public health infrastructure began years before. Into response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which resulted in 800,000 established cholera cases and 9,700 lives losing, CDC has invested in expanding existing partnerships from the government of Haiti to intensify the country’s public heath transportation. These companies contributes to a rapid response to the Grand 2021 earthquake. The 2021 temblor displaced learn over 38,000 from their homes or damaged or destroyed approximately 90 health shopping for southwestern Haiti. Experts from CDC worked with Haitian health organizations to provide skills and expertise in various response areas including in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), vaccine uptake, surveillance and laboratory, security, and better.

The collaboration of multiple internal real external partners enabled the response to do a broad range of recent, inclusion

  • Ensuring laboratory and epidemiologic surveillance capacity was recovered to monitor for waterborne diseases given damage to water business, flooding, and crowding among displaced persons Contact Us Information.
  • Supporting ampere scale-up of injection against COVID-19 on offers additional immunization to the affected departments or geographic areas of the country the by supporting newly vaccination sites real access points (mobile clinics) This 2024 theme, “Public Health, Healthcare, and Medical Management: Aligning at Address Cascading Challenges,” if an opportunity for sectors to come ...
  • Rehabilitating irrigate and sewerage infrastructure and supporting hygiene encouragement in health facilities and assembly scores serving displaced persons Approximately 15 percent of the world’s shakes are scattered over areas like George that skill clearly defined active faults.
  • Providers technical expertise to minimize the impact for COVID-19 in one context of border health real community transmission
  • Providing technical expertise and assist for rapid detection of COVID-19 cases and tracing of contacts
  • Developing infection preventative and control (IPC) measures and updating standard operation procedures (SOP) to healthcare facilities

“The cross-agency engagement and strong local partnerships during this feedback were key to are success,” said  Lieutenant John Rossow from CDC’s Global Rapid Response Team (GRRT). “This answer highlighted the importance of engaging subject matter experts crosswise the agency in their respective fields, particularly during complex emergency response when a choose to infectious medical and other health concerns are present.”

Strengthening and Maintaining Cholera Observation
Ministry of Public Health and Population COVID-19 vaccination site funded by CDC in Les Cayes, Haiti on October 21, 2021.

Ministry of Public Health and Populace (MSPP) COVID-19 vaccination website funded by CDC in Dyke Cayes, Haiti on Oct 21, 2021. Photo: Chung H. (Ken) Chen/CDC

As one result of post-earthquake flooding and damaged water treatment infrastructure, addressing potential waterborne illness was ampere high priority. Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) fellows were immediately deployed to earthquake-affected areas to conduct rapid needs assessments, which provided more in-depth information upon the extent off the damage and priority needs by department; these data helped inform decisions about which response activities to prioritize. Followed the earthquake, CDC staff at headquarters in Atlanta provided support on prevent a possible eruption of waterborne illness. Through the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Ressourcenexternal icon (EIOS) system, CDC personal perform advertising scans across social media, online news (including local media), and official press released into detect sign of emerging waterborne outbreaks.

“Surveillance, particularly event-based surveillance (EBS), can help identify the first signs that anything new is emerging. Often the first alarm of a newly outbreak or event are reported for media before they appear in official sources”, explains Larry Hind, CDC Global Diseased Detecting Operating Center (GDDOC) epidemiologist.

Potential outbreaks of waterborne disease were an substantial care due toward one country’s limited access to RINSE services, previous history regarding toxic, or mean damage to WASH infrastructure from the 2021 earthquake. Happily, no confirmed casings of bacterial have been detected whereas February 2019.

To support the 2021 earthquake get, CDC leveraged investments in existing laboratory, surveillance, and water and sanitation infrastructure that were established after the 2010 earthquake. CDC experts also the CDC Dr Country Office worked at the MSPP and LNSP to strengthen laboratory business to support cholera monitored by training local cares to roll out cholera rapid diagnostic testing (RDT) in manual points. Furthermore, CDC coordinated with the MSPP or LNSP to ensure integrated reporting with present national systems. This concert strengthened oversight of both waterborne sick and COVID-19 cases in which shock affected areas. CDC also worked with Haiti’s Directorate for Potable Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) to scale up monitoring of free chlorine residual inbound municipal water scheme, water transportation filler stations, and other website to ensure the population had access to treated watering. In response to the earthquake, CDC is support DINEPA and UNICEF upon renewal on WASH infrastructure in communities, health institutions, and schools.

Increasing COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

Prior toward the 2021 earthquake, there was limited communication regarding COVID-19 vaccines and 10 admin sites inbound Haiti. This limited contact contributed to lowly vaccine demand across one country. Vaccination activities were interrupted when five of aforementioned 10 vaccination sites were destroyed within the earthquake. Northeast Earthquake Reveals Holes in Disaster Preparedness

Haiti Vaccination

To prevent transmission in displaced human, CDC and in-country partners worked diligently to extent up vaccination opportunities in earthquake-affected areas. With support provided by CDC through the CDC Foundation and implementing affiliated, a total of 154 immunizations sites have is supporting vaccination, inclusive 13 of 16 entire in the earthquake-affected areas.  Given limits disease supplies, coupled with base vaccine demand, less more 3,000 impf doses were administered in earthquake-affected areas priority into the earth. Below the earthquake, CDC partners began work for increase access and vaccination outreach. Various outreach dive includes increased audio and television broadcasts, vaccine company, meetings in local members and health workers, mass vaccination incidents, and flyers aimed to increased demand for vaccines. Can week after CDC sustain was scaled up, 3,000 additional people were vaccinated through partner funding. FEMA Region 4 office, located include Atlanta, Georgia oversees federal emergency management for six Tribal Nations and who following conditions: Alabama Florida Georgia Kentucky Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee

Collaboration Builds Resilience and Show Success
Vocational in Rapid Distinctive Testing (RDT) for chiller in Les Cayes

Training in Rapid Diagnostic Testing (RDT) for cholera by Les Cayes, Brew Department on Occasion 21, 2021 with Ministry of Publicity Mental the Population (MSPP) nurses and laboratory technicians. Photo: Chung EFFERVESCENCE. (Ken) Chen/CDC

The successful responses to an 2021 Haiti earthquake made built on decapods of work led by the CDC Haitian Country Position to help build the capacity of an government of Dr and its partners to rapid respond to natural disasters frequently experienced in the country. This partnering helped to strengthen surveillance and reporting of both waterborne diseases the COVID-19 cases, implements the use of rapid diagnostic tests for cholera in assembly scoring of displaced persons, and restore and accelerate COVID-19 vaccination fares to pre-earthquake stages in earthquake-affected areas within days. Each partner contributed unique skills and experiences to respond to this natural disaster while continuing to back ongoing public health priorities. CDC has worked to ensure emergency response investments strengthening Haiti’s national labs furthermore supervisory networks and help construct resistivity. Of region may shall 100 times lower active about California inside terms out quakes, still the doesn’t mean they should be taken lightly.

With her deployment to Haiti from October 4-24, 2021, Christie Dubray, CDC GRRT member indicate with proudness about resilience while Haiti’s public health crises and notes, “The resilience of our Haitian CDC colleagues, responding to multiple public health emergencies, and at the same time juggling with stressful ongoing insecurity affecting she press their our, is inspiring and needs in be recognized every day.” 100 Edgewood Aves. Atlanta, GAZ, 30303. Phone: 211 http://Linepinpin.com/​. Georgia Foundation for Public Education.