When Numbers Lie: The Lessons the True Hurricane Maria Death Toll Should Teach Us About the Necessity of Addressing Radiation Therapy Access Disparities in the United States

To the Editor: The recent examination of the state of radiation oncology in Puerto Rico after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria in September 2017 by Lopez-Araujo and Burnett was a sobering depiction of the great need to address the dearth of radiation therapy (RT) access, which is exponentially exacerbated after natural disasters (1). Even more recently, a May 2018 study in New England Journal of Medicine indicates the true death toll from Hurricane Maria was 4645, more than 72 times the official death toll of 64 reported by the government (2).

https://ift.tt/2MG6JAr