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| Photo: (c)Handout Getty Images |
The New York Times estimates that the death toll in Haiti will reach between 100,000 and 200,000. Much of the attention paid to this devasted country is rightly focused on the death count, as well as the lack of basic supplies and the overwhelming medical needs of the victims and their families. But little has been said about the needs of those who sustained spinal injuries. An earthquake such as this one makes it virtually impossible to treat an injury safely and in a timely way. For example, moving someone who has a spinal cord injury, even if for their own safety, can increase the chances of paralysis or death. Also, getting the appropriate treatment as soon after the injury is a critical key to getting well again.
If the 7.9 magnitude quake in May 2008 in China is any indication, over 50% of victims may experience nerve injury and subsequent disability. There will likely be a large portion who have spinal injuries in more than one area of their back, and nearly all injuries to the neck will result in a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries usually result in permanent paralysis.
Sources:
Reuters. Haiti Says 200, 000 May Be Dead, Violence Looms. Jan 15 10. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/01/15/world/international-uk-quake-haiti.html
Chen R, Song Y, Kong Q, Zhou C, Liu L. Analysis of 78 patients with spinal injuries in the 2008 Sichuan, China, earthquake. Orthopedics. 2009 May;32(5):322.
New York Times. Sichuan Earthquake. May 09. http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/news/science/topics/earthquakes/sichuan_province_china/index.html
| Spinal Cord Injury | Back Pain | What to Do in Case Of a Neck Emergency |
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Dear Ms. Asher — My client, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, has given separate grants to two non-profit organizations which are providing assistance, such as medical supplies and wheelchairs, to the disabled in Haiti: UCP Wheels for Humanity; and Portlight Strategies, Inc. You can read about it here — just thought you’d want to know. Cordially, Amy Losak, Ketchum
http://communities.kintera.org/REEVE/blogs/daily_dose/archive/2010/01/15/69062.aspx