Six Weeks Into Outbreak, More Than 157 Tons of Medical Aid Delivered

In response to the rapid spread of cholera in Haiti, Direct Relief has expanded its medical-supply efforts to support over 100 hospitals and health facilities throughout the country and has furnished 157 tons of medical essentials and hygiene materials to health facilities.

Direct Relief is working in collaboration with Haiti’s national Ministry of Health and its departmental directors, as well as directly with individual health facilities caring for cholera patients throughout the country.

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Consistent with Direct Relief’s longstanding practice, all medical materials have been requested by end-user health facilities and imported with the approval of the Haitian Ministry of Health, and all are furnished free of charge. Below is a summary of the aid furnished:

• Doxycycline:sufficient quantities to treat 23,500 people with severe cases of cholera.
• I.V. materials:72,421 1-liter bags of lactated ringers and sodium chloride (estimated by requesting facilities to treat at least 10,000 patients needing intravenous rehydration.) An additional 40,000 I.V. catheters is en route.
• Pedialyte children’s oral rehydration solution: 10,689 1-liter bottles (estimated to treat 2,672 babies with each child receiving four 1-liter bottles).
• Premixed oral rehydration solution:26,100 1-liter containers (estimated to treat 9,000 patients with moderate or early stages of cholera).
• Disinfectants and Hygiene Supplies:30,864 bottles of hand sanitizer, 19,200 bars of soap, 4,200 gallons of bleach, and enough PUR water tablets to purify 57,600 gallons of water. These materials have been requested to prevent the spread of cholera, as the most important aspects of prevention are clean water, proper hygiene, and disinfection.

Rapid and extensive support from Direct Relief’s corporate partners to the cholera outbreak has been essential, as the vast majority of medical material noted above has been donated from commercial inventories. Direct Relief has used $200,000 in Haiti-designated cash contributions for transporting, clearing, in-country trucking and delivery of materials in response to the choleraoutbreak.

(as of November 2010)

Direct Relief (an organization with headquarters in Haiti and main offices/warehouse in Goleta!) is an example of a truly great organization that works to donate aid to those in need. Direct Relief works with countries that have suffered from natural disasters as well as disease outbreak such as cholera. Keep an eye out for them around SB!