This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
"Cholera is a game changer in the most fundamental sense. What we can say, definitely, is that....no elections held in the midst of the current exploding cholera crisis can be considered credible."
Most pertinent is banning 15 political parties, including by far the most popular, Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas that would sweep to victory overwhelmingly if participated. It's why it's excluded, to assure imperial favorites are selected. Democracy is off the ballot in Haiti.
On November 23, Canada's CBC headlined, "Cholera help slowed by indecision: UN," saying:
UN bureaucracy is "slowing down aid," making it likely that deaths "could rise above 10,000 if help doesn't quicken." Most at fault, rich nations failing to help, notably the Obama administration spurning its responsibility to earthquake and cholera victims, obstructing aid and providing none of its own, leaving Haitians on their own.
On November 24, Haiti: Operational Biosurveillance (OB) provided its latest update, conservatively estimating "nearly 95,000 cases," the majority subclinical. Again, in many areas, they confirm an undercount of around 400%, saying:
"In many areas of Haiti, we are documenting outbreaks that are not being accounted for in the official statistics. We therefore estimate the upper bound of estimated total (subclinical and clinically apparent) case counts to be nearly 375,000, (and a) true community load (close) to 800,000 if subclinical infections are counted."
OB sharply criticized America's Centers for Disease Control (CDC), calling its hubris well-known, a factor contributing to its inappropriate strategy for providing an infectious disease crisis warning. Moreover, CDC acted unprofessionally, spurning available peer-reviewed literature and operational experience. It played an important role in advising USAID and other US government organizations to withhold funding. It's how America treats poor people everywhere, including at home.
OB also held USAID and the State Department culpable for downplaying the gravity of the crisis, despite multiple professional briefings. Thomas Adams, Haiti Special Coordinator commented on the epidemic, saying "turn off the alarms." In other words, Washington has no intention to help.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
1
