Hurricane Maria’s Growing Impact on Those with Chronic Diseases
Hurricane Maria has resulted in the death of 16 Puerto Rico residents and mass ruins. However, the aftermath of the Hurricane is expected to result in devastation far beyond this. Currently, 20 out of 69 hospitals are closed and many roads are blocked, limiting residence’s accessibility to the open hospitals. The most pressing issue is lack of power—the power grid for the island was knocked down and not expected to be fixed for months. Additionally, fuel is limited and running out. Efforts have been made to deliver emergency supplies of food, water and gas, but the damage across the island limits the ability of the items to be delivered. This lack of power has also resulted in the shutdown of the island’s pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, which provides 90,000 jobs and 30 percent of the island’s gross domestic product.
In addition to the immediate impacts of this problem, there is especially a concern for residences with chronic diseases. Puerto Rico has a diabetes prevalence of 13 percent—this puts it at the highest in the United States being almost double the prevalence on mainland. Further, one-fifth of Puerto Rico’s residents have some kind of disability. There is a necessity to keep medication and vaccinations refrigerated and supplied. Efforts have been made to fly medical supplies over, but the issue also lies in getting residences to the medicine. Less than 10 percent of pharmacies have been open. For those with chronic diseases, the combination of lack of medicine, limited access to hospitals, and increased likelihood of acquiring colds and other illness promotes a very scary and pressing front.
Chronic diseases are not often considered in the final toll of natural disasters, but Hurricane Maria is expected to cause many deaths that would typically be easily prevented. It is important to consider the impacts of Hurricane Maria from all angles and think about in what ways efforts can be made to decrease these kind of public health issues that are arising.