Disasters

Hurricane Mitch

The Canadian Forces new Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) didn't take long to adapt to the medical needs of 90,000 survivors of Hurricane Mitch in November 1998. Canadians were the first to provide medical and engineering help in the Aguan Valley. By the end of their tour the 43-member medical team had treated about 13,000 people at their clinics; tens of thousands others were helped indirectly through clean-water and mosquito-spraying programs. [CMAJ 1999;160(3):391-2]

Kosovar refugees

Between May 4 and 23, 1999, 5,000 ethnic-Albanian refugees arrived in Canada; half were sent to Trenton, Ont. and half to Greenwood, NS. Although most were surprisingly healthy after their ordeal, the logistics of organizing screening and health care were daunting. [CMAJ 1999;160(12):1755]

At Trenton's "medical mall," the goal was to screen the ethnic-Albanian refugees for infectious diseases and other medical conditions, and to keep families together. Many adults and children showed signs of emotional trauma. [CMAJ 1999;160(13):1860-2]

Swissair crash

Combining compassion for victims' loved ones with the largest DNA study in Canadian history, Dr. John Butt, Nova Scotia's chief medical examiner, and his colleagues in forensic medicine and dentistry spent the last four months of 1998 trying to solve a grisly puzzle: identification of the 229 people who died in the violent crash of Swissair Flight 111 on Sept. 2, 1998. [CMAJ 1999;160(2):241-3]