Project Help Haiti: the Preparation Process

Published on September 09, 2010

As you may have heard in our latest Press Release, Eden is sending five pest professionals to help with pest relief in Haiti. As these five prepare for their trip (September 13-18) they have realized how intensive the process is. There are mulitple shots and medications needed as well as insect repellents and specialty items.

Items needed for protection from insect bites and parasites:

•     Sleeping bag treated with permethrin
•     Mosquito net treated with permethrin
•     Mosquito repellent 35% DEET
•     Filtered water bottle

Other items that will come in handy:

•     Duct tape
•     Earplugs
•     Mosquito net hooks
•     Power tools

Required shots as well as Malaria pills:

•     Tetanus
•     Whooping cough booster
•     Hepatitis A
•     Typhoid

Diseases found in Haiti:

•     Rabies
•     Leptospirosis
•     Rift Valley Fever
•     Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever
•     Plague
•     Lassa Fever
•     African Trypanosomiasis
•     Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Mosquito-Borne Diseases

•     Chikungunya (Mosquito-borne)
•     Malaria (Mosquito-borne)
•     Dengue Fever
•     Yellow Fever
•     Japanese Encephalitis

We will also be treating our clothes with Permethrin to keep mosquitoes from biting through the fabric.

All the prep work is a little daunting, as it shows us what the Haitian people have to live with on a daily basis. Although the stress is real, the excitement of having this opportunity to help is overwhelming.

Kathy Elkins, Eden's IPM Consultant in Portland, says, "We are proud to be a part of this delegation and are please that we can offer our pest management expertise to this relief effort!"