Health response to the earthquake in Haiti january 2010: lessons to be learned for the next massive sudden-onset disaster

The objective of this publication is to draw the lessons to be learned for improving the health response in future sudden-onset disasters. We know that massive earthquakes will occur again and some will devastate metropolitan areas or even the capital city, as was the case in Haiti. Haiti is the subject of this study, hopefully not the object, as Haiti has had her share of catastrophes.The scope of the book is limited to the health response, health being defined in its broad sense, not merely medical care or disease control. The review is confined to the immediate and early response in the first three months, the period during which most of the international assistance was mobilized and influences, for better or worse, rehabilitation and reconstruction. The publication focuses specially but not exclusively on those lessons that are of general interest, i.e., not specific to the special case of Haiti. The international community has much to learn from the response in Haiti where it has shown an ability to repeat its errors and shortcomings from past disasters. The methodology used for this study is common to most evaluations: in-depth review of reports, evaluations, studies, and peer-reviewed scientific publications; over 150 interviews, half of them carried out exclusively for this study and others for similar evaluations carried out by one of the three authors; circulation of the draft to all interviewees for factual validation and comments on the authors’ interpretation of the findings; and, finally, discussion with a review board convened by PAHO/WHO.

Relación entre la enfermedad de Hodgkin y factores socioeconómicos en pacientes menores de 18 años durante los años 1980-1988 en Bogotá

El siguiente trabajo fué inspirado por la revisión bibliográfica realizada, donde se evidencia la posible interacción de factores relacionados con la enfermedad de Hodgkin (E.H.), entre éstos los socioeconómicos, por lo cual iniciamos una revisión de los factores que pudieran estar relacionados. Realizamos la investigaciòn en 22 pacientes diagnosticados en el Hospital Lorencita Villegas de Santos con E.H. desde 1980-1988 a través del formulario-encuesta obtuvimos los datos a analizar y encontramos que la mayoría de pacientes llegaron tardiamente a ser estudiados, que tenían padres con poca escolaridad, regular ocupación y presentaron una gran incidencia del estado IV, y en general de un etado socioeconómico entre medio y bajo