Dr. Jerry McMahon gives his thoughts on the health of the people:
“I have visited Chauffard three times, twice as a physician on medical missions. Some of the medical problems of Chauffard residents are unusual or rare in the developed world: malnutrition, iodine-deficiency goiters, intestinal parasites(worms), and fevers due to infections acquired from animals, such as leptospirosis. These conditions are acquired due to limited food availability, unsafe drinking water, and unsanitary living conditions. The Chauffard residents also have some medical problems that are common in the USA or Europe, such as high blood pressure, back pain, and acid reflux, but they are untreated and uncontrolled due to the Haitian’s poverty and lack of access to medical care.
The people of Chauffard have a hard life, working all day in fields on little food intake, and get light-headed, weak, and dizzy. They develop back pain from their work, sour stomachs from coffee but little food through the day, and hypertension from the chronic stress of worry about feeding their family. But they are tough and resilient. They know they have a hard life, and they are truly thankful for any help given them.”
