Experts from the Magen David Adom (MDA, Red Star of David) emergency service will train local personnel to immunize refugees from January's earthquake in Haiti as part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to administer immunizations and stop outbreaks of disease. The threat of those outbreaks was caused by damage to the sanitation system - including sewage treatment - and a serious shortage of water.
About 140,000 refugees will be treated against measles, diptheria and tetanus during the two-week immunization program. Paramedic Ohad Sheked, one of the MDA experts, says that on the first day of the program, the IFRC effort intends to immunize 1,800 of the 30,000 living in the camp located on the runway of the old La Piste airport.