Weeks after hurricane, church workers in Guatemala fear disease

Published: 2005-10-24

GUATEMALA CITY (CNS) -- As the focus of international aid shifts to other disasters, church workers in Guatemala are concerned that the country still faces a potential health emergency and a long-term hunger crisis in the aftermath of the flooding and mudslides of Hurricane Stan. "This is a time bomb," said Dr. Mario Fuentes, head of the pastoral health program for the San Marcos Diocese, in one of the hardest-hit provinces. Many of the water systems were destroyed in San Marcos, he said, and some areas were still without potable water. Fuentes said health workers have treated numerous cases of diarrhea, respiratory illnesses and at least one case of typhoid fever. Similar health reports have come from the department of Solola and from areas along the Pacific coast, where heavy rains of Hurricane Stan caused devastating floods. Father Raul Monterroso, pastor of Santa Cruz Parish in Chiquimulilla, a city near the Pacific coast, said he and other church members were also worried about the risk of dengue fever, a tropical disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Continued rain and standing water around many homes have made fertile breeding grounds for potential dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .