Disease 'outbreak' feared in Haiti

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake left tens of thousands in need for food, water and health supplies. The top concerns right now are to supply relief to the Haitians. Many believe that the Haitians are very vulnerable to getting diseases. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere and has already suffered from malnutrition and less than half the population has access to fresh clean drinking water. Over 200,000 Haitians have HIV or AIDS and around half the population isn’t even vaccinated. “If there’s a widespread outbreak of disease, the first line of defense is your own immune system,” Mr. Brown said. Canada's disaster response team has a job to ensure that the water is clean, filtered and safe to drink. The AID organizations are also ensuring that the victims have safe water to drink to lower the risk of diarrhea and hepatitis. Avril Bennot stated, "Despite Haiti's fragile state the spread of disease was not an immediate threat.
What happened in Haiti is a tragedy and the victims will never forget it. I believe that the diseases could be very harmful epically to those who have weak immune systems. Without food or water or treatment the Haitian's won’t be able to survive. Disease outbreak is definitely a threat however; I think that providing food, water, and first aid should be first priority. They should keep an eye on this disease threat but ensure that the essentials for living are provided first.