Please be praying for all those affected...

CIDRAP News Scan for May 23, 2014

63,000 Caribbean chikungunya cases

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Caribbean chikungunya outbreak tops 63,000 cases

The Caribbean chikungunya outbreak grew by 6,303 cases in the past week to reach 63,489 suspected, probable, or confirmed cases, according to an update today from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The count is up from 57,186 cases a week ago.
Martinique continues to report the largest numbers by far, with 26,670 suspected (up from 24,180) and 1,515 confirmed or probable cases, the ECDC said. Cases on Guadeloupe continued to soar over the past couple of weeks; the island now has 18,000 suspected (up from 13,000) and 1,328 confirmed or probable cases.
Suspected and confirmed cases in the Dominican Republic held steady at 8,017 and 17, respectively. The French side of St. Martin reported 3,280 suspected and 793 confirmed or probable cases.
Also reporting chikungunya are Dominica, with 1,578 suspected and 121 confirmed cases; St. Barthelemy, 510 suspected and 135 confirmed or probable cases; Haiti, 632 confirmed cases; the Dutch side of St. Martin, 325 suspected and 301 confirmed cases; French Guiana, 176 confirmed or probable cases; Anguilla, 33 confirmed cases; St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 24 suspected and 3 confirmed cases; British Virgin Islands, 20 confirmed cases; St. Lucia, 5 confirmed cases; Antigua and Barbuda, 4 cases; and Aruba and St. Kitts and Nevis with 1 confirmed case each.
Haiti's count rose from only 14 confirmed cases last week to 632.
Also this week, Florida reported its fourth chikungunya case, in a man who had traveled to the Caribbean, according to a May 21 press release from Palm Beach County's health department. The man is recovering, the agency said. Media reports said he is 66. The first US cases were reported in Florida 1 week ago.
The chikungunya outbreak is the first known in the Americas and began in December on the French side of St. Martin. Seven deaths have been reported.
May 23 ECDC update
May 21 Palm Beach County health department news release

Updates from Univers...

 News from Ouanaminthe:

• Hugues returned from a trip outside the country quite sick, spending a week under the weather, but is back in form again. 
•  We have about 14 students scheduled for visa interviews in early June – for the August ESL experience, first-time college student visas and renewals. 
• At the national Genie Royal (a.k.a. It’s Academic), Univers lost out to a rival school from Ouanaminthe – grrr!  However, at a first-time-ever similar local academic knowledge competition, Univers easily topped that same school.  Sweet!
• Univers sent four qualifying teams to the national volleyball championship tournament in Port-au-Prince.  However, the organization of the host committee was sadly lacking, causing our delegation to spend their first night sleeping on the gymnasium bleachers! 
• And we have two more grads who have returned with Bachelor degrees from the U.S. to join the I.U. staff – Marie-Claire Charles and Emmanuel Joseph.

Some of our "Philo" (Grade 13) in front of the school:

Marie Claire and her precious family at graduation from Millersville University:

 Our Genie Royal Team:

 Wesley at graduation from Gloucester County College, now onto Berea College for his Bachelors degree (see post from May 16, 2014):

Follow up to my May 15 blog - we have a partial sponsor, now we need the other half PLEASE!!!

The prospective host family for this student has just pledged $6,000 a year toward this student! Is there anyone out there willing to pledge another $6,000?
PLEASE contact me as soon as you can if you want more information or are willing to be a benefactor for this student, even partially! 
You may feel you are benefiting the student when you will be the one to receive the benefit and the blessing! You are investing in changing a life, a family's life, a nation - that is HUGE!
Thank you so much for your consideration and if you are not able to, can pass this on to others who are able to?
Thank you!

Happy Haiti - Pharrell Williams Version Haitienne - This makes me so HAPPY to see! Thank you Pharrell!

Congratulations to "Our" Wesley

Wesley, who on the 13^th grade – “Baccalaureate II” graduate exam, earned the rank of 1^st   place in all of Haiti, graduates from his college tonight. Wesley is receiving the 2014 President's Award for A.S. Biology. This award is given to the student with the highest GPA per major. And to top it off he will be sitting on stage during graduation (he told me made the president's list all four semesters and is graduating with an A average). 
If you know Wesley on Facebook or elsewhere, be sure to congratulate him!
Wesley now goes on to Berea College where he will major in Biology/Pre-Med. 
We are So proud of him and thankful that he gives all the glory to God!

Here is Wesley at the awards ceremony for earning the President's List Award in 2013:

A generous offer that still needs generous help!

Good afternoon from Rainy Season Haiti! I just love the fact that at about 3:00pm each day the blue, sunny skies turn to big white cumulus clouds and within minutes dark grey appears and the clouds turn on their faucets - Full steam! Today was especially torrential, as Pastor Dave came to my doorway and asked if it was leaking through my windows because it was "sure leaking through mine", he said. It smelled so good and clean. And now it's turned to a light, soft steady rain and cooled to about 82 degrees - lovely!

Here's why the title of today's blog is what it is:

We have a family who would like to host a student in their home in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area, but needs someone to pay the tuition (minus any scholarship dollars they/we may be able to secure), and living expenses of clothing, books, fees, and insurance. There is a two year community college that runs about $10,000 annually (no scholarship is available) and a four year university that I'm in the process of seeing if and what scholarship may be able to be secured. In other words, we have the host we need the benefactor!
We have four "Philo students" remaining who are proficient enough to attend a U.S. college.
If you would like to participate in a young man's life, for an opportunity of a lifetime, or know of someone who may be interested in participating, we would really love to see one more student heading to the Embassy in June or July with the rest of the students who are going, of which there are eight (so far)! Consider getting your church or company involved, is an idea, too.
Please contact me immediately for more discussion and information.
And THANK YOU for your consideration.
Love and Hugs,
Marylee

"My" PHILO Students (listening intently to the speaker, as they should be!)

This made my Monday!

I am so touched. Pastor Dave just peeked his head around the corner at my office door and said "It is so good to have you back here; so good to have another voice, a smile, and joy." I said thank you and how much that meant to hear that. 

I am blessed beyond words!

xxoo