CKDnT Reported Among Migrant Workers from Nepal Working in Gulf States and Malaysia
A lot has changed in the 13 years since we began our mission to protect workers and their families from CKDnT in Central America. In that time, we’ve launched numerous epidemiological and occupational programs, such as the Adelante Initiative, DEGREE, and WE Program that have allowed us to shine a spotlight on the epidemic of kidney disease in the region and directly intervene to protect lives. However as our research has grown, so too has our understanding of the global community at-risk of this disease, and that’s why we are extremely worried that CKDnT is now being reported among migrant workers from Nepal and South Asia including those working in Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup. These reports of kidney disease are on top of the already very high mortality rate reported among workers in the Gulf States due to heat stress and other preventable causes.
- “Revealed: 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since World Cup awarded”
- Abstract: Chronic Kidney Disease in Migrant Workers in Nepal
- Study: Heat Stress and Cardiac Arrest Among Nepali Workers
Time and again, we have seen this disease materialize in areas where rising temperatures, strenuous labor, and worker exploitation collide. Young men, who would otherwise likely enjoy productive lives, are dying in their 20s and 30s, building stadiums that will generate billions of dollars and host some of the wealthiest athletes on the planet. This is profoundly unjust, and is a too frequent case of déjà vu where profit is put ahead of the health and dignity of human life. As in Central America, this will have a disastrous effect on families, communities, and health systems, highlighting the impossible position these workers are in, trapped between limited economic opportunities at home, and exploitative, fatal labor abroad.
We will have much more to say on this issue in the coming months, and we will certainly need allies along the way. Connect with us on our social networks to stay up-to-date with the latest developments.
In the meantime, please consider supporting our work with a monthly donation.
Nordic Alcohol Monopolies Request Producers to Attend Water, Rest, Shade, and Sanitation Training to Maintain a Healthy and Productive Workforce
Bonsucro together with Vinmonopolet, Alko, Systembolaget, and Vinbudin/ATVR is offering free training on implementing a water, rest, shade, and sanitation protocol to protect workers from heat stress. The training will take place online in English on May 25th, 2021.
These retailers represent alcohol sales in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland, and in March 2021 they collectively signed a statement that will require more actions to be taken to protect workers from heat stress in this sector. As our work in Nicaragua has shown, heat stress is a fatal epidemic in the liquor industry, and we are encouraged that such a large market is setting a new ambitious standard for the industry to follow.
Ed Kashi Awarded for Guardian Photo Essay on CDKnT
Congratulations to La Isla Network’s longtime collaborator Ed Kashi on being awarded the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Media Excellence (OEMME) Award from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
Ed is being recognized for his photo essay documenting the CKDnT epidemic in Nicaragua, published in the Guardian.
We are grateful for your continued support. This work takes a village, and we are encouraged by how many incredible people have joined our mission to protect workers and save lives. If you’d like to donate to our cause, please visit us here.
In solidarity,
