It constitutes just one more severe blow to the affected population, depriving them of their human right to honor the dead with a proper identification and burial. The legal and financial consequences of the lack of a death certificate will add to the suffering of the survivors for years to come. Our experience in the aftermath of the earthquake in Mexico City showed that health authorities and the media can work together to inform the public, make possible the identification of the deceased, and the return of the bodies to the families in a climate free of unfounded fears of epidemics. The myth that the affected local population is helplessly waiting for the Western world to save it also is false, especially in countries with a large but unevenly distributed - medical population. In fact, only a handful of survivors owe their lives to foreign teams.
Most survivors owe their lives to neighbors and local authorities.
When foreign medical teams arrive, most of the physically accessible injured have received some medical attention. Western medical teams are not necessarily most appropriate to the local conditions. Disaster-stricken countries appreciate external assistance that can do a lot of good when directed to real problems. Unfortunately, too much of the assistance is directed to non-issues or myths. For example, a common myth is that any kind of international assistance is needed, and it's needed now, while our experience shows that a hasty response that is not based on familiarity with local conditions and meant to complement the national efforts only contributes to the chaos.