PUBLIC HEALTH ROLE IN DISASTER

Ade Martiwi Eka Putri

The Public Health Role in disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery includes:
Identifying community resources applicable to the

physical, social, and psychosocial effects of a disaster Identifying groups most at risk from disasters (i.e., children, older adults, homeless, chronically ill, homebound, physically or mentally disabled) Providing disaster education both in advance of (i.e., what to expect in a disaster) and after (i.e., how to deal with the effects) event Taking responsibility for the health of a community following a disaster Using such resources as assessment, epidemiology, and data analysis to make and implement recommendations for limiting morbidity and mortality following disaster

Cont
Cooperating and collaborating with other partners to

ensure that primary health, public health, and mental health issues are adequately addressed in disaster planning Preventing disease by providing health advisories on injury prevention, food and water safety, and vector control Assuring that health services continue post impact, including acute, continuity of care, primary care and emergency care Communicating with government officials about the public health effects of potential disasters and provide expert assistance during and after disasters Developing and advocating public policies designed to reduce the public health impact of potential disasters Collaborating with other health and human service professionals to rigorously evaluate intervention outcome

Reference - Public Health Management of Disasters: The Practice Guide (Landesman, 2001)

DISASTER EPIDEMIOLOGY
Disaster epidemiology is used to develop

strategies for preventing both acute and chronic health events due to natural or technological hazards. Disaster epidemiology includes the assessment of needs; assessment of the availability and use of health services; surveillance systems for descriptive and analytic investigations of disease and injury; research on risk factors contributing to disease, injury, or death; and information from surveillance systems to develop strategies to control disease.

DISASTER EPIDEMIOLOGY
Initiate active health systems surveillance,

including systems for monitoring deaths, illness, and injuries. Evaluate real-time data, and communicate as directed. Establish procedures. Document all response activities.

Emergency information systems (EIS)

Emergency information systems (EIS) are

used in disaster epidemiology to collect data during the impact, response, and early recovery stages. First, using the EIS, managers determine the potential public health outcomes for each disaster, such as crush injuries from earthquakes or diarrheal diseases from floods. Then, managers use the EIS to collect data from on-scene sources (such as hospitals, first-responder units, pharmacies, and shelters) in order to determine what health strategies and assets