The association between the distance from the epicenter of the Haiti earthquake (2021) and medical diagnoses: A report from the field

Abstract

Background: Following the earthquake of August 2021 in Haiti, humanitarian agencies provided support to the local population. NATAN, a voluntary based non-governmental organization, had arrived in the field five days after the earthquake and provided medical support based on a mobile clinic in seven villages close to the epicenter of the earthquake. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on data collected from 331 persons of concern, as part of ‘good clinical practice’. They received basic treatment such as antibiotics and minor surgical interventions following a diagnosis. The main variables that were collected in this intervention included demographic data, main diagnoses, and main treatments. We also examined the distance from the earthquake epicenter (DfE) and its effects on the diagnoses and treatments. Results: Several interesting findings were observed. A significant association between the DfE and the diagnoses was found, where within the group closest to the epicenter, the most prevalent diagnosis was internal medicine problems (40.3%). Conclusions: It is possible that since five days had passed since the earthquake, the expected diagnoses of traumatic injuries were reduced, leaving sub-acute problems to be diagnosed and treated.  Finally, mental health symptoms and stress levels should be assessed  systematically and with validated measures.