MSF Assisting Survivors of Hurricane Matthew

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is continuing to assess the needs of survivors in areas of Haiti affected by Hurricane Matthew. 

                                  

They have started to treat people in desperate need of emergency medical care and clean water.

Thanks to the unrestricted gifts they received from donors, they were able to mobilize immediately after the storm struck western Haiti on October 4:

In Jérémie, they found that the reference hospital has suffered damage and lacks water and electricity. 

There are many hurricane survivors with infected wounds. Some people are sick with cholera, a disease that can spread rapidly through untreated water or poorly prepared food and can kill within hours. MSF carried out 250 medical consultations this weekend.

In Port-à-Piment, people are drinking water from untreated sources. An MSF team brought medical supplies to the town and treated 39 cholera patients.

In Petite Rivière de Nippes, an MSF team carried out about 200 medical consultations in the last two days. 

There is a fairly high presence of foot wounds from walking in flooded areas and reports that many people are drinking river water because of the lack of clean water.

In addition, they continue to run existing hospitals and clinics in and around the capital. 

MSF teams in Port-au-Prince are performing emergency surgery, providing urgent care for women with complicated pregnancies, caring for burn patients and more.

MSF teams are working to get into more hurricane-affected areas currently cut off by damaged bridges and roads. 

In the coming days, they are planning to assess the needs in nearby mountainous areas.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) since 1971, help people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care.

More Details on the MSF website