“Our teams will be busy for some time”

“MSF has been doing consultations in the town of Guiuan. Six hundred patients came on the first day. MSF teams on different islands are doing their first consultations, so we are beginning to build a picture of the needs and the human suffering that has accompanied this disaster. The most serious cases we’ve seen in Guiuan are people with injuries caused by the fierce wind. We’ve seen around 60 people needing minor surgery, suturing, cleaning of infected wounds and setting of broken bones. We also saw people with diabetes who have badly infected wounds. Philippines © Laurence Hoenig/MSF. An MSF mobile clinic near Roxas. MSF’s team in Santa Fe, not far from Tacloban, has seen around 150 people at their clinic, and report the same kind of injuries. There are wounds from nails, from stepping on wreckage. Tetanus vaccination is a top priority. A large number of people were indirect victims of the storm, like an older man I saw with a serious lung condition. He wasn’t doing well. He had lost his inhaler, which is dangerous in his condition. We have also seen children who are epileptic and have run out of their medication. There are children with gastro-intestinal infections and diarrhea, almost certainly from drinking dirty water. The wet conditions have aggravated respiratory tract infections. But these illnesses are not yet at alarming levels. MSF’s teams on Panay Island have seen more than 350 patients in their three clinics in and around Estancia, and the ...
Source: MSF News - Category: Global & Universal Tags: Philippines NEWS Frontpage Natural Disaster Source Type: news