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<DIV>I am supporting the work of the Fondo Social de Emergencia de Salud in
Jiquilisco, El Salvador. They are investigating the cause(s) of an epidemic
of chronic renal insufficiency in the communities they represent, and which
seems to be occurring throughout the coastal zones of Mexico and Central
America. The areas affected are either formerly or currently sites of large
agroexport plantations of crops such as sugar, cotton, or bananas, and it is
suspected that exposure to chemicals used in agricultural production, and
chemical contamination of the water supply, underly the high rates of renal
failure. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In Jiquilisco, an area with a population of 12,000 to 15,000 people,
chronic renal insufficiency is the leading cause of death among adults, men
being overwhelmingly affected. 35-40% of men over 40 have either proteinuria
and/or elevated serum creatinine. In 2005, 23 people died of CRI, and at least
12 have died so far this year. The Health Ministry of El Salvador offers
virtually no treatment for these people. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I am send this email hoping to identify other countries where this is
occuring and any epidemiological studies that have been done that might help us
arrive at a more specific cause. I have some studies in Spanish done by a
Salvadoran nephrologist working with the Fondo that compare coastal communites
with mountain communities in several Central American countries that I can share
with you if interested.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thank you!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*******************************************<BR>Laura Turiano, MS,
PA-C<BR>Right to Health Campaign<BR>People's Health Movement - US
Circle<BR>Oakland, California<BR><A
href="mailto:phm@turiano.org">phm@turiano.org</A><BR><A
href="http://www.phm-usa.org/">http://www.phm-usa.org/</A><BR>*************************************************<BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>