Saturday, June 4, 2011

Lack of protein and medicines

Many of the children in the displaced persons camps have copper tinges to their hair colour rather than the normal jet-black and this is one of the signs of malnutrition and lack of protein. Yesterday, at my women's group, one grandmother who is caring for her grand-daughter was distraught because the 4-year girl had a high fever and nothing could be done about it - no asprin, no antitbiotics, no thermometer even. It seemed that the 4-year old might have pneumonia. I also noticed that her right eye, the white part had a blue tinge as well as a blue film over the iris. I don't know what that was, but it didn't look good. There is nothing to deal with even such common things as a fever - it made me want to cry. Everyone of the people in this camp is still grieving over loved ones that they have lost in the earthquake, and are still living with injuries they have sustained. There is a visiting doctor who comes occasionally, but the poor and weak Haitians have no medicines. The awful thing is that medicines cannot be left in the camps because they will likely be confiscated by the strongest.

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