• 
  Home
  Page
• 
  Health
  Data
• 
  Topics
  List
• 
  Media
  Center
• 
  Information
  Products
• 
  PAHO
  Publishing
• 
  Knowledge
  Resources

Earthquake in El Salvador: Corpses Do Not Cause Epidemics

Washington, January 17, 2001 (PAHO) - Epidemics do not occur spontaneously following disasters, and corpses do not lead to outbreaks of tropical diseases, according to Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, Assistant Director of the Pan American Health Organization. "It is ancestral myth, and even educated people have this belief, one which is far removed from reality," she stated during a press conference held today in Washington.

The damages caused by the earthquake that seized El Salvador last Saturday are not yet quantifiable, but reports indicate that 46,000 homes were damaged, 16,454 destroyed, 700 buried, 200 landslides nationwide, and 45,000 evacuated and hundreds are dead and missing.

In a press conference hosted by the Pan American Health Organization, the Ambassador of El Salvador to the Organization of American States, Margarita Escobar, said, “Little by little the communication services are being reestablished. The damage caused to hospital infrastructure has resulted in the need to use emergency clinics. The national emergency and solidarity efforts have focused on the rescue of victims."

Ms. Escobar said that international aid from partner countries has been fundamental, but pointed out that the main priority is financial assistance, "since this allows us to avoid a number of obstacles." She said special bank accounts have been established.

"El Salvador needs the permanent and continuous aid from the international financial organizations in order to rise up again,” she said.

She specified that the type of aid that will be solicited as the situation is evaluated will concentrate on the main priorities of each region in the country.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has a coordinating role in the support provided to countries facing disasters. Dr. Roses said teams from PAHO country offices from throughout the hemisphere have traveled to El Salvador to work with the government to assess and evaluate the health risks.

She said that temporary outdoor health services are being provided, that waste and residues must be eliminated and that there are a growing number of shelters, some with 5,000. “We are intermediaries to channel the support that El Salvador needs,” Dr. Roses said.

“It is a small country that has not stopped shaking. Which is why the population is afraid to return to their homes or to go to emergency aid centers for fear of landslides. There is a psychological aspect. It is a critical situation. We stress that we support monetary aid because it is the most effective and the most important,” Dr. Roses said.

She added that the rush to bury bodies following natural disasters often leads to mental health problems in the future. She explained that the right of identification is a basic human right.

Monetary donations can be sent to the Pan American Health and Education Foundation, a non-profit that works with PAHO.

PAHO, founded in 1902, works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the levels of health of its peoples. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization.