Sunday, October 24, 2010

HAITIAN CHOLERA OUTBREAK, DEATH TOLL RISES

HEALTH CRISIS: OUTBREAK OF CHOLERA
KILLS MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE IN HAITI
(CNN) - A fast-moving cholera outbreak in Haiti has claimed at least 208 lives, according to a U.N. spokeswoman. The number of Haitians infected with cholera and cholera-like symptoms continued to mount Saturday as panic spread that the deadly disease could reach the quake-battered capital where thousands of people are living in unsanitary camps. Meanwhile, government officials and international aid workers asked people to remain calm but stay vigilant and be sure to wash their hands with soap and stay out of rivers. As of Friday evening, the Haitian government reported that 2,364 Haitians have been hospitalized for cholera throughout the affected Artibonite region in central Haiti, and 208 have died. The death toll was expected to rise. Partners in Health, or PIH, reported that at least 10 cases have been found in Gonaives, a port city in the Artibonite that’s located 34 miles north of St. Marc.

The country’s worst fear is that the disease could reach the 1.5 million people living in about 1,000 unsanitary camps in Port-au-Prince and other cities ravaged by the Jan. 12 earthquake. Health officials still are trying to figure out the cause of the outbreak. The Ministry of Health declared the worst-affected areas were the towns of Drouin, Marchand Dessalines and areas around St. Marc, a port city 55 miles north of the capital. In a matter of hours, mothers had lost children, husbands had lost wives and entire communities were grieving. Meanwhile, the government and the international community have stepped up public awareness campaigns on best sanitation practices and started to deliver bottled water and bars of soap.


Cholera causes vomiting and diarrhea leading to dehydration and death if untreated. It is the worst medical emergency that plagues the poor and devastated Caribbean nation since the earthquake that left 300 people dead and it is also the first cholera epidemic in Haiti in a century. These continual misfortunes remind us of the Vedic prophecies that predict that in this age of Kali, people will be emaciated by hunger and always will be disturbed by fear of drought. People will lack adequate clothing, food and drink. There will be great epidemics and people will be unable to properly rest or bathe themselves.


WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?
The Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.2.6) explains that as Kali-yuga progresses the goal of life will be simply to fill the belly. ... There will be one social disaster after another. In fact, it is also related (Bhag.3.17.5) that natural disturbances, whether it is too much heat, snow, earthquakes, volcanoes, cyclones, tornadoes, or other storms, portend that the demoniac population in the world is increasing. Therefore, when this happens it is merely the acts of nature that reflect the consciousness and collective karma of those who inhabit this planet. ... The Narada Purana (1.41.76-77) also states that in Kali-yuga men will become extremely fearful of hunger and drought, and will always watch the sky for rain. Many other Puranas also support this view of the future. The Kurma Purana (1.30.2) states that there will be continuous fear of hunger, starvation, droughts, epidemics of fatal disease, and countries being destroyed in the age of Kali. The Brahmanda Purana (1.2.31.34) also says that there will be calamities in all the countries and there will be terrific fear of drought.


Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“The Vedic Prophecies: A New Look into the Future”
“The Eastern Answers to the Mysteries of Life”
http://www.stephenknapp.info/ - http://www.stephen-knapp.com/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/vedic_prophecies.htm

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