Damage to Haiti’s infrastructure is “almost unbelievable,” says WHO chief

As the scale of the devastation in Haiti gradually emerges, with 200 000 people feared dead and one and half million left homeless, healthcare workers are struggling to cope. Not only is this one of the worst natural disasters in recent years, the earthquake wiped out much of the limited infrastructure of one of the world’s poorest countries.

The World Health Organization is coordinating the healthcare sector of the massive international relief operation. WHO’s director general, Margaret Chan, said, “This disaster ranks among the most devastating and logistically challenging in recent history. We are seeing the difficulties that arise when disaster strikes an already disastrous public health situation.

“We have every reason to be concerned …