disaster and health

7/27/2019 Disaster and Health

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EFFECTS OF DISASTER ON

HEALTH


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INTRODUCTION:

In the past, sudden-impact disasters werebelieved to cause not only widespread death, but

also massive social disruption and outbreaks of

epidemic disease and famine, leaving survivors

entirely dependent on outside relief.

There can be acute effects and long term effects

of disaster on health of people.

Disasters leads to physical, social, emotional and

psychological disturbances among the victims.


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HEALTH EFFECTS OF

DISASTER:

Deaths

Severe injuries

Increased risk of Potential risk following all major

disasters Communicable diseases

Damage health facilities Damage to water Severe

Light Severe Light Severe but Severe

Food shortage


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1. Social Reactions

Every type of disaster puts lot of burden on thesociety as a whole.

It leads to various disruptions in social functions.

Causes wide spread damage to social structures. Rumor about Epidemics, communicable diseases

etc puts considerable pressure on the authorities

to undertake emergency humanitarian work such

as mass vaccinations against typhoid or cholera,without sound medical justification.


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2. Communicable Diseases

Disasters do not usually result in massive outbreaksof infectious disease, although in certaincircumstances they do increase the potential fordisease transmission.

In the short-term, the most frequently observedincreases in disease incidence are caused by faecalcontamination of water and food; hence, suchdiseases are mainly enteric.

The risk of epidemic outbreaks of communicable

diseases is proportional to population density anddisplacement. These conditions increase the pressureon water and food supplies and the risk ofcontamination (as in refugee camps), the disruption ofpre existing sanitation services such as piped water

and sewage, and the failure to maintain or restorenormal ublic health ro rams in the immediate ost-


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3. Food and Nutrition

Food shortages in the immediate aftermath may arise intwo ways. Food stock destruction within the disaster areamay reduce the absolute amount of food available, ordisruption of distribution systems may curtail access tofood

Flooding and sea surges often damage household foodstocks and crops, disrupt distribution, and cause majorlocal shortages. Food distribution, at least in the shortterm, is often a major and urgent need, but large-scaleimportation/donation of food is not usually necessary.

In extended droughts, or in complex disasters, the

homeless and refugees may be completely dependent onoutside sources for food supplies for varying periods oftime.

Depending on the nutritional condition of populations,especially of more vulnerable groups such as pregnant orlactating women, children, and the elderly, it may be

necessary to institute emergency feeding programs.


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4. Water Supply and Sanitation

Drinking water supply and sewerage systems areparticularly vulnerable to natural hazards, and the

disruptions that occur in them pose a serious

health risk. The systems are extensive, often in

disrepair, and are exposed to a variety ofhazards. Deficiencies in established amounts and

quality of potable water and difficulties in the

disposal of excreta and other wastes result in the

deterioration of sanitation, contributing toconditions favourable to the spread of enteric and

other diseases.


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5. Mental health

IMMEDIATE REACTIONS:

Extreme sense of urgency.

Panic, fear and disbelief

Disorientation and numbing Difficulty in taking decisions

Anger and blaming

Disorientation in bodily functions.


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MENTAL HEALTH Contd..

DELAYED REACTIONS:

Apathy, depression and guilt

Moodiness, irritability

Jealousy and resentment Feeling of being overwhelmed, frustration

Powerless over ones own future, guilt over not

being able to prevent the disaster.

Domestic violence

Physical symptoms

Exacerbation of existing conditions


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Mental Health Contd

A group at high risk, however, seems to be thehumanitarian volunteers or workers themselves.

Wherever possible, efforts should be made to

preserve family and community social structures.

The indiscriminate use of sedatives and

tranquilizers during the emergency relief phase is

strongly discouraged.

In industrialized or metropolitan areas indeveloping countries, mental health problems are

reported to be significant during long-term

rehabilitation and reconstruction and need to be

dealt with during that phase.


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.Infrastructure

Disasters can cause serious damage to healthfacilities and water supply and sewage systems,

having a direct impact on the health of the

population dependent on these services.

In the case of structurally unsafe hospitals and

health centers, disasters jeopardize the lives of

occupants of the buildings, and limit the capacity

to provide health services to disaster victims.


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LEGAL ASPECTS OF DISASTER

MANAGEMENT


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LEGAL ASPECTS OF DISASTER

MANAGEMENT

Legal aspects of disaster management includes

the wide range of concerning issues.

While managing the disaster one should try to

take care of these issues and provide holistic

care to the victims.

These legal aspects range from building codes to

the type of care being provided.


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LEGAL FRAMEWORK RELATED TO

BUILDINGS

Building Regulations/Bye-laws provide themandatory legal framework for regulating

building activity from planning, design to

completion of construction.

State Governments formulate the rules and

regulations with the help of the local bodies,

under the various legislation.

After the approval, the concerned local bodies

enforce these rules and regulations pertaining to

development and building standards as building

regulation/building bye-laws in their respective

areas.


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CODE

National Building Code prepared by the Bureau of

Indian Standards in 1970 and subsequent revisionsare advisory in nature and not mandatory.

The various provisions in the Code are framed by a

panel of experts keeping other standards in view.


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NATIONAL BUILDING

CODE CONTD.

It lays down a set of minimum provisionsdesigned to protect the safety of the public with

regard to structural sufficiency, fire hazards and

health aspects in buildings. So long these basic

requirements are made, the choice of materials,method of design and construction is left to the

ingenuity of the architect and the engineers and

other experts engaged in such projects.


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GOOD SAMARITAN LAW

Good Samaritan lawsare lawsor acts protectingfrom liability those who choose to aid others who

are injured or ill.

They are intended to reduce bystanders'

hesitation to assist, for fear of being sued or

prosecuted for unintentional injury or wrongful

death.

Good Samaritan laws vary from jurisdiction to

jurisdiction, as will their interactions with various

other legal principles, such as consent, parental

rights and the right to refuse treatment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrongful_death_claimhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrongful_death_claimhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrongful_death_claimhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrongful_death_claimhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law


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CONSENT

The responder must not commit assaultor batteryby

giving aid to a patient without consent of the patient

(or of the patient's legal guardian when the patient is

a minor) except in those cases where obtaining the

consent of the patient or guardian is not possible.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assaulthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(tort)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_(law)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_(law)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(tort)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault


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IMPLIED CONSENT

Consent may be implied if the patient isunconscious, delusional, intoxicated or deemed

mentally unfit to make decisions regarding their

safety or if the responder has a reasonable belief

that this was as such; courts tend to be very forgiving in adjudicating

this, under the legal fiction.

Consent may also be implied if the legal parent or

guardian is not immediately reachable and the

patient is not considered an adult.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_fictionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_fictionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_fictionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_fiction


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PARENTAL CONSENT

If the victim is a minor, consent must come from aparent or guardian.

A responder is not required to withhold life-saving

treatment (e.g., CPR or the Heimlich maneuver)

from a minor if the parent/guardian will notconsent.

The parent/guardian is then considered

neglecting, and consent for treatment is implied.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heimlichhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heimlich


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NEGLIGENCE

There have been significant developments in the law

of negligence over the past decade

In the case of statutory authorities and government

bodies the law of negligence can also apply in relation

to the exercise of statutory powers and functions.


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OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND

SAFETY

The OH&S legislation that applies to variousprivate and government bodies differs across

states but in general it imposes duties on

employers to prevent risks to both employees and

others to the extent that this is practicable.


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RISK MANAGEMENT

APPROACH TO LEGAL ISSUES

Characterizing the hazard

Knowing and understanding the relevant law

Establishing the community profile

Determining the vulnerabilityAnalyzing the risks

Evaluating the risks

Identifying and evaluating the treatment


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1. Kandasamy M; Community health nurse in disastermanagement;TNAI Nursing Journal of India vol XCVIII No. 10,Oct 2007

2. Emergency Management , Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

3. NDMA: National Disaster Management AuthorityPolicies andguidelines

4. Disaster management information system resourcesdatabases, links and organizations

5. National disaster management guidelines; national DisasterManagement Authority of India; Government of India

6. International institute for Geo- Information Science and Earthobservation (ITC); refresher course on Geo- information for

natural disaster management in East Africa ;department ofgeography, University of Makerere,sept 2005

7. Smelter etal, Brunner and Suddarth;Medical Surgical Nursing10thedition LWW Publication ;Page2184-2192

References


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8.Bhardwaj R J etal ;Chemical disaster Management:current status and prospects; journal of Scientific andIndustrial Research Vol. 66,Feb 2007 Page 110-119

9.Lewis etal ;Medical Surgical Nursing: Assessment andmanagement of clinical problems ;7thedition

,Elsevier publication ;Page 1842-184310.Ignatavicius etal; Medical Surgical Nursing: Critical

Thinking For Collaborative Care, 5thedition;Elsevier Saunders publication , Page 166-171.

11.R Sreevani; Role of nurse in dealing with

psychological problems of disaster victims.Nightingale Nursing Times-A Window for Health inaction. Vol 1 issue 3 July 2005; Page 04-08, 46-49

12. http://orgmail.2.coc-dmha .org

REFERENCES

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