Disbelief and rumours lead to virus deaths in Haiti

• June, 11 2020 à 18:22
• Jean-Claude Dorsainvil
• Santé
• 0 Comments

A nurse assists a COVID-19 patient at the Doctors Without Borders Drouillard Hospital in Cite Soleil, Haiti, on June 3, 2020.
CITÉ SOLEIL, Haiti (AFP) — On paper, Haiti so far has everything it needs to battle the novel coronavirus crisis — unoccupied hospital beds, medical staff, and supplies.
But in reality, the population's scepticism about whether the contagion even exists has led to a quickly mounting death toll.
“The illness is real. Many of our citizens are experiencing respiratory symptoms and other tell-tale signs,” said Erneau Mondesir, a doctor who works in impoverished Cité Soleil.
“It's really important for them to believe this disease exists.”
And yet, despite the hundreds of thousands of deaths around the world, medical personnel are baffled by the unwillingness of many Haitians to take the pandemic seriously.
The first cases were detected in Haiti two months ago. In recent days, an increasing number of people are reporting symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
They insist they have a “bit of a fever” or a “mild illness” — but people are dying in and around the capital Port-au-Prince.