• News
    • Latest news
    • News search
    • Health
    • Finance
    • Food
    • Career news
    • Content series
    • Try Devex Pro
  • Jobs
    • Job search
    • Post a job
    • Employer search
    • CV Writing
    • Upcoming career events
    • Try Career Account
  • Funding
    • Funding search
    • Funding news
  • Talent
    • Candidate search
    • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Events
    • Upcoming and past events
    • Partner on an event
  • Post a job
  • About
      • About us
      • Membership
      • Newsletters
      • Advertising partnerships
      • Devex Talent Solutions
      • Contact us
Join DevexSign in
Join DevexSign in

News

  • Latest news
  • News search
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Career news
  • Content series
  • Try Devex Pro

Jobs

  • Job search
  • Post a job
  • Employer search
  • CV Writing
  • Upcoming career events
  • Try Career Account

Funding

  • Funding search
  • Funding news

Talent

  • Candidate search
  • Devex Talent Solutions

Events

  • Upcoming and past events
  • Partner on an event
Post a job

About

  • About us
  • Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising partnerships
  • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Contact us
  • My Devex
  • Update my profile % complete
  • Account & privacy settings
  • My saved jobs
  • Manage newsletters
  • Support
  • Sign out
Latest newsNews searchHealthFinanceFoodCareer newsContent seriesTry Devex Pro
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Disaster relief

    Learning the hard way: Lessons from the Haiti earthquake

    People living with HIV are rarely prioritized during an emergency — as we saw in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010. Here's how to develop sustainable community models to deliver HIV prevention and treatment services during disasters. A guest commentary by Ruth Ayarza, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance's regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

    By Ruth Ayarza // 12 January 2015

    Today marks five years since the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti, with some 220,000 people lost their lives and more than 1.5 million made homeless. Still very much in the recovery phase, the country currently risks slipping into freefall following the recent resignation of Laurent Lamothe as prime minister.

    Even before the disaster, Haiti was considered a fragile and impoverished state with serious public health issues. The Haitian government’s resourcing of its HIV response for example has always been very limited and virtually all funding comes from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. As a result of the earthquake, many health facilities, including the capital’s main hospital, were destroyed.    

    Shortly after the quake, the Ministry of Public Health and Population and UNAIDS estimated that fewer than 40 percent of people living with HIV had access to antiretroviral therapy sites. In many instances, HIV services were being provided in the yards of health centers or hospitals.  There were shortages of drugs. The logistical management and distribution of drugs used for prophylactic treatment was poor. In a lot of institutions, hygiene and medical waste management were problematic.

    This article is free to read - just register or sign in

    Access news, newsletters, events and more.

    Join usSign in
    • Global Health
    • Humanitarian Aid
    • Haiti
    • Worldwide
    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).
    The views in this opinion piece do not necessarily reflect Devex's editorial views.

    About the author

    • Ruth Ayarza

      Ruth Ayarza

      Ruth Ayarza works at the International HIV/AIDS Alliance as regional manager for Latin America and the Caribbean. She has worked in international development for 16 years with a focus on sexual and reproductive health, HIV, gender equity and disability. Previously, she was a manager for Latin America with Deaf Child Worldwide and an advocacy officer for Kimirina, a nonprofit based in Ecuador.

    Search for articles

    Related Stories

    HumanitarianUSAID cuts hinder Myanmar earthquake response

    USAID cuts hinder Myanmar earthquake response

    Global healthFollowing PEPFAR cuts, vulnerable Ugandans are dying, providers say

    Following PEPFAR cuts, vulnerable Ugandans are dying, providers say

    Global HealthA month after stop-work order, Uganda’s HIV response in chaos

    A month after stop-work order, Uganda’s HIV response in chaos

    Rohingya CrisisUSAID freeze deepens Rohingya crisis, exacerbating ‘subhuman conditions’

    USAID freeze deepens Rohingya crisis, exacerbating ‘subhuman conditions’

    Most Read

    • 1
      The power of diagnostics to improve mental health
    • 2
      Lasting nutrition and food security needs new funding — and new systems
    • 3
      Opinion: Urgent action is needed to close the mobile gender gap
    • 4
      Supporting community-driven solutions to address breast cancer
    • 5
      No health reform without better AI governance
    • News
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Talent
    • Events

    Devex is the media platform for the global development community.

    A social enterprise, we connect and inform over 1.3 million development, health, humanitarian, and sustainability professionals through news, business intelligence, and funding & career opportunities so you can do more good for more people. We invite you to join us.

    • About us
    • Membership
    • Newsletters
    • Advertising partnerships
    • Devex Talent Solutions
    • Post a job
    • Careers at Devex
    • Contact us
    © Copyright 2000 - 2025 Devex|User Agreement|Privacy Statement