Thanks for the information. It is really tragic to have repeated Disasters. Please keep us informed. Thank You Dr.Shalu Gupta Lecturer Pediatrics > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Mark Cheren > To: Children in Disasters Network Listserve > Sent: Friday, October 14, 2005 11:26 AM > Subject: [cindnet] Recent Disasters - HTML > version > > > In this Issue of the Children in Disasters > Network Listserve > > > 1.. A letter from Karen concerning the most > recent disasters > 2.. A note re the Guatemala Disaster from > Alfredo Garcia reprinted from the Global Healthcare > Consortium Listserve > > 3.. Proposed program on International > Pediatric Chat to be presented by the C in D > Network: > What Have We Learned From > Recent Disasters? An On Line Discussion > > (about children in disasters practice and training) > > > __________________________________________________________ > > > > > 1. Letter from Karen (Dr. Karen Olness, of the > Case School of Medicine and Health Frontiers) sent > out on our Children in Disasters Listserve > > Dear colleagues, > > Once again we are facing major disasters--one in > Pakistan and one in Guatemala. I sent a query to > Dr. Ashfaq Khan, former Dean of the Peshawar Medical > School and member of the Standing Committee of the > International Pediatric Association. He organized > the disaster management training course which was > held at the Peshawar Medical School in early 2002. > He responded that he has handed over the names and > addresses of doctors and paramedics whom we trained > in Peshawar to the concerned authorities in the > N.W.F.P. and Afghan consultate in Peshawar. Quite a > number of those trained were Afghan doctors. Dr. > Khan mentioned that his brother in law, Professor > Sohail Sahibzada (a surgeon) and his team are busy > round the clock at Abbottabad where the maximum > number of casualties have been received. Field > hospitals have been set up in local disaster areas > and the very serious patients are being transferred > to the tertiary care hospital. Dr. Khan said that > aid is getting to the affected areas and that he is > concerned on how they will coordinate the activities > of so many NGOs, both local and international > agencies, who have arrived at the scene. He noted > that it will take a very long time to rehabilitate > all the displaced people. > > We have also sent you a description of the > situation in Guatemala from a physician who has been > active in the Global Medical Education Consortium. > > If anyone on this listserve is currently working > in these two disaster areas, please keep us updated > and also make recommendations about what help is > needed. > > Sincerely, > > Karen Olness > > > > 2. Message from Alfredo Garcia, MD, MPH > > Wed, 12 Oct 2005 via Sara E Pirtle > Subject: Guatemala mudslide report from Alfredo > Garcia > Sender: "A list for the Global Health Education > Consortium." > > Dear GHEC friends, GHEC member Alfredo Garcia, > who was my co-chair for the 2004 IHMEC conference in > Guatemala, sent the following first-hand report to a > Central American listserv about the recent mudslide > devastation in Guatemala. Alfredo wrote the report > from San Lucas Toliman, which some of you remember > from the site visits held on the last day of the > conference. San Lucas is the location that UNMC > uses for the volunteer medical work portion of our > Medical Spanish/International Health Courses in > Guatemala. It is the nearest town to Santiago > Atitlan, the area most damaged by the recent > flooding and mudslides. All students who have been > through our programs know San Lucas well, and most > of them have visited Santiago Atititlan during one > of the planned field trips. Sara Pirtle > Please respond to > jagarcia@xxxxxxxx m.gt > > > Dear Centamers: > > I'm writing to you from San Lucas Tolimán, > Guatemala. This is the nearest town to Santiago > Atitlán, on the Southern shore of Lake Atitlán. > > I came from Guatemala City by chicken bus > (didn't dare to bring my car, not knowing if I would > make it) and had to transfer three times to ride in > the > back of pick-up trucks that are driving people > to the places where the road was cut off. The last > two cut-offs were somewhat hairy to cross, one I had > > to ford the river walking over a flatened-out > log, and the second cutoff meant having to walk > about half a mile in knee-high mud. Still, I made > it > in about four hours to San Lucas (two hours > being the regular time, in my car, so it's not so > bad). > > With some local colaborators (rural health > promoters, teachers, etc), we have been going to > Santiago Atitlan, following instructions given by > local > health authorities, to provide medical care to > refugees in one of the largest shelters, the > Catholic Parish House. In this shelter there are > close to 1100 people from Panabaj, the community > that was affected by the mudslide. Estimates of the > final death toll vary (nobody really knows until > they do a census, which the local high school > seniors are doing now). > > The scene in Panabaj is surreal: a long > mudslide -miles long- which came down from the > volcano, 20 to 6 ft high, at 2 am, sounding "like a > jet > plane" according to eyewitnesses. It brought > with it, huge boulders, enormous tree trunks, and > crashed over houses and buildings, many of which > were completely buried along with their occupants. > Last I heard, the local authorities had decided to > stop digging for bodies and declare the whole place > a gravesite. > > All together, there are about 5,000 refugees > from the mudslide area. I heard today, from the > health authorities, that there are 61 shelters, some > > with over 1,000 people. The local people are > being amazing and outstanding with their solidarity, > providing home to friends and relatives, staffing > the shelters, donating stuff to feed them and > clothe them. People in shelters lost everything > they had in the world. > > I noticed, during these past three days of > giving "consultas", that most of the disease that we > are seeing is best described in the local way, > "nervios". People are just freaked-out. Ladies > complain of not being able to sleep, men complain of > gastritis. Today, on my last day, though, I started > seeing more patients sick with infectious diseases, > like kids with diarrhea, otitis, mild cases of the > flu, etc. Hopefully, it will not get worse. I > expect that, over the next few days or weeks, if the > people living in shelters don't get clean water and > decent sanitation, there might be an epidemic of > say, rotavirus (an intestinal virus that gives > copious diarrhea to babies) or even worse, cholera > or whooping cough. > > The road from San Lucas to Santiago is passable. > There was only one small slide that has been > cleaned. Access from the lowlands to Santiago was > cut off from the highway by mudslides and a flash > flood from a river. They're restoring passage today > (tuesday) with Bailey bridges set by the uatemalan > army corps of engineers and the ministry in charge > of roadways. > > I expect a flood of aid from Guatemala City > today. There have been very few trucks to Santiago, > and the only aid they got so far was by helicopter > flights. Today, there are lines of trucks > waiting for the bridge to be open, so they can go to > Santiago. > > I'm going back to Guatemala City today. I'll > return to Santiago in a week or so with -I hope- > needed drugs and vaccines. I hope that my dire > predictions of a epidemic will not come true. > > Saludos, > > Alfredo Garcia, MD, MPH > > > > > > 3. Proposed Program on International Pediatric > Chat to be presented by the C in D Network: > > What Have We Learned From Recent Disasters? An > On Line Discussion (about children in > disasters practice and training) > > We are hoping to be able to convene several > members of our network to talk about this important > topic. What can we learn from the tsunami last > December through the mudslides in Guatemal? How can > we use that learning to improve our work in these > situations and how should it impact the training we > provide to prepare colleagues for this work? We are > anticipating this session will take place sometime > in November or December '05 > > > 4. If anyone on this listserve is currently > working in these two disaster areas, please keep us > updated and also make recommendations about what > help is needed. > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.14/129 > - Release Date: 10/11/2005 > > > > Dr. Shalu Gupta Lecturer pediatrics, Deptt. of Pediatrics. I.M.S. , B.H.U. Varanasi-221005 U.P. Ph no:09935683068 E mail:drshalugupta@xxxxxxxxxxx __________________________________________________________ Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your partner now. Go to http://yahoo.shaadi.com