GUATEMALA—In just one month, Cuba’s medical cooperation in Guatemala has enabled 1,167 lives to be saved in the wake of Tropical Storm Stan.

Believed to be the most destructive storm in the history of that Central American nation, the hurricane left an official toll of 670 dead, 844 disappeared, more than 280,200 victims, 32,807 homes destroyed or damaged, and agricultural losses of nearly $400 million.

According to PL reports, the majority of lives saved by the Cuban doctors were minors under 15 years old, but generally, all of their patients were high risk, with acute respiratory infections and diarrhea and skin diseases, and there were also cases of dengue.

Cuban Medical Brigade (BMC) authorities in Guatemala told the press agency that the number of people whose lives were saved was due solely to the efforts of the 600 members of the Henry Reeve Special Contingent of disaster and epidemic specialists; they began arriving here in groups beginning on October 8 by virtue of an offer made by the Cuban government to help alleviate the suffering caused by the devastating hurricane.

The 600 Henry Reeve brigade members are working side by side with the 233 BMC doctors who are part of a permanent contingent who have been here since 1998, in response to Hurricane Mitch, noted Dr. Orlando Páez, an epidemiologist and BMC member.

Páez explained that from early October to date, the doctors working in remote rural areas had visited 2,963 communities, where they had given 25,661 educational presentations on health, hygiene and epidemiology.

In addition, they talked with 144,816 people who had been affected or were in vulnerable situations, as well as 9,703 consultations.

Authorized BMC sources explained that a total of 260 patients, including six children, have been cared for by Cuban ophthalmologists as of November 7, thanks to a health solidarity project called Mission Milagro.

Of the total number of people seen by specialists in rural areas in northern Guatemala, 64 were diagnosed with cataracts; 64 with pterigia (ocular growths); 32 with cataracts and pterigia and one with ptosis (drooping eyelids).

As of November 15, 139 of 152 patients had received surgery, but the rest were not able to due to presenting optic atrophy, maculopathy, glaucoma, anemia and other causes.

Together with the doctors, the government in Havana also sent a group of 88 technicians to fight against vectors, organized into brigades with thermal nebulization equipment for killing mosquitoes.