Thousands lose limbs in Haiti earthquake

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Untold thousands of Haitians have lost limbs in this month's devastating 7-magnitude earthquake, health workers say.

Mirta Roses, director of the Pan American Health Organization, told the Miami Herald that the number of amputations has been enormous, with some hospitals reporting up to 30 such procedures per day shortly after the Jan. 12 disaster.

"My impression (is that) there will be thousands of amputations -- an that nearly half (of the amputees) may have lost more than one limb," she told the newspaper.

The island's only full-time prosthetics manufacturer and amputation clinic, Healing Hands for Haiti, was virtually destroyed the temblor.

"This is a country where people, even before the earthquake, relied on their physical abilities," Helping Hands board member Dr. Colleen O'Connell told the Herald. "Everything in this country is done by hand. Even getting around in this country on roads with potholes doesn't lend itself to anybody with a mobility problem."

Dr. Patrick DeHeer of the foundation Wound Care for Haiti told the newspaper that amputees who don't get proper follow-up care are at risk for poor blood flow and heart problems.