NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / In anticipation of an onslaught of COVID-19 cases, Haiti's president, Jovenel Moïse, has created an historic public-private partnership, the Commission Multisectoral de Gestation de Pandemic COVID-19, to coordinate the country's resources and response to the looming pandemic.
President Moïse selected Dr. Jean William Pape, founder of the GHESKIO network of clinics, to co-chair the commission, along with Dr. Lauré Adrien, director general of the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population. The commission's immediate focus is on developing diagnosis and treatment approaches that are both effective and practical, in light of Haiti's extremely limited resources.
"The work of the commission will be critical to saving as many lives as we possibly can," said Dr. Pape.
Dr. Pape has developed a world-renowned reputation as a leader in combatting infectious diseases and saving lives. In 1980, his fight against infantile diarrhea in Haiti reduced the infant mortality rate from over 40% to less than 1% in just a year. He has been instrumental in the campaign against HIV in Haiti, resulting in a decrease in prevalence from 6.2% in 1993 to 2% today. After Haiti suffered the worst cholera outbreak in modern history, Dr. Pape led his team to serve more than 100,000 cholera patients. The protocols his GHESKIO team have developed are used to combat diseases in developing countries and around the globe.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Haiti is predicted to soar, with more than 300,000 patients projected to need hospitalization by August. The country is especially vulnerable to the pandemic, since many residents live in densely populated communities where self-isolation is physically impossible. Most of those in Port-au-Prince and surrounding communities lack access to clean water and soap.
"Survival will require unprecedented levels of creativity, collaboration and commitment among all of our partners, with a rapid release of funds to fight COVID-19," said Dr. Pape.
About Us
About GHESKIO
GHESKIO, which operates a network of clinics in Port-au-Prince and throughout Haiti, is an international leader in clinical care and research for HIV, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. Since the earliest days of the HIV epidemic, GHESKIO has been at the forefront of HIV response, implementing testing and prevention strategies and serving as the largest provider of HIV treatment in the Caribbean. GHESKIO has been a key leader in Haiti's decrease in HIV prevalence from 6.2% in 1993 to the current level of 2.0%. GHESKIO is also the Caribbean's largest provider of tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment. GHESKIO is world-renowned for its research, with more than 35 years of continuous support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for single-site clinical trials. GHESKIO is a member of the prestigious AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). GHESKIO researchers have published over 250 peer-reviewed publications, and GHESKIO-developed care protocols are in use in developing nations around the world.
About Haitian Global Health Alliance
The Haitian Global Health Alliance is a U.S.-based 501(c)3 organization that provides fundraising and communication support for GHESKIO.
Contacts
Scott Morgan
Work: 1 973 865 0128
[email protected]
SOURCE: Haitian Global Health Alliance in support of GHESKIO