| CDC is working with the U.S. DHHS and other federal and international agencies to help communities in Haiti |
CDC's current response focuses on collaborating with national and international partners to meet urgent public health needs and establishing liaisons and coordination needed for successful, long range public health programs in response to the earthquake. As of January 24, 225 CDC staff are currently involved in the response; 19 staff members are currently deployed to respond to the emergency.
CDC staff members in Haiti are serving on multiple international teams and projects to help mitigate and address public health issues. They are working with USAID, US Incident Response Coordination Teams, Haitian Ministry of Health, and PAHO to finalize public health surveillance instruments to assess cases of disease, injury, and other health conditions. Once finalized, CDC staff in Haiti will work with the government of Haiti and clinicians in Haiti's health facilities to identify types of health conditions and numbers of cases among patients. As surveillance data from Haiti is available, CDC will be working with international partners to compile, analyze and interpret information about health conditions following the earthquake. Results of the surveillance will be used to prioritize public health interventions, project resources needed by health care facilities as they care for patients, and assist in long-range planning for the reconstruction of the country's health care system.
CDC has also developed a set of resources for relief workers traveling to Haiti to respond to the earthquake |
As data is being collected in Haiti; CDC's global health, environmental health, and injury specialists in the U.S. have compiled and summarized information about water issues, injury and trauma to create a preliminary portrayal of the public health situation in Haiti. These characterizations include estimates of current numbers and types of injuries, burns, and cuts. These estimations are being used to project the medical resources and public health interventions that will be needed to treat patients and prevent disease/injuries. The descriptions have been drawn from varied sources including previous disaster experiences and scientific reports. They are being shared with international partners responding to the earthquake.
CDC has also developed a set of resources for relief workers traveling to Haiti to respond to the earthquake. Topics included are vaccination recommendations; medicines, supplies, and equipment needed by travelers to Haiti; and steps to prevent diseases and other health hazards.