CHAPTER –THREE.pptx
- 1. CHAPTER –THREE Causes and Health Consequences of Specific Disasters
- 3. 1.Deforestation • Definition: Deforestation is the removal or damage of vegetation/trees in a forest to the extent that it no longer supports its natural flora and fauna. • It is most frequently caused by humans taking care of their immediate needs, while not being aware of the long-term effects of their actions.
- 4. Deforestation…….. • Magnitude: The rapid rate of deforestation in the tropics is a key driving force in the yearly increase of flood disasters. • According to the Food and Agriculture Organization and United Nations Environmental Program (FAO/UNEP) study in tropical forests are disappearing at the rate of 7.3 million hectares (18 million acres) per year: • 4.2 million hectares (10.4 million acres) a year in Latin America • 1.8 million hectares (4.4 million acres) a year in Asia • 1.3 million hectares (3.2 million acres) a year in Africa.
- 5. Deforestation…….. Impacts • The greatest and most immediate danger of deforestation is that gradually diminishing forested areas contribute to or worsen other disasters. * For example, by removing vegetation that retains water, deforestation can lead to flooding, drought and desertification. * By removing vegetation that stabilizes the soil, desertification can lead to erosion, siltation and an increased chance of landslides during earthquakes
- 6. Deforestation…….. Management • Sound forestry policies • Attention to rural energy needs, alternative energy sources, and national energy priorities • ETC
- 7. 2.Drought • Drought :-is defined as a water shortage caused by deficiency of rainfall. • lack of water for the normal needs of agriculture, livestock, industry, or human population termed as a drought. • The cause may be lack of supply, contamination of supply, inadequate storage or conveyance facilities, or abnormal demand. • Drought is usually accompanied by hot, dry winds and may be followed by damaging floods.
- 8. Impact of Droughts • Primary (Immediate) Effects • Water supplies are over taxed and finally dry up • Loss of crops • Loss of livestock and other animals, and • Loss of water for hygienic use and drinking. • Secondary (Resulting) Effects of Drought • Migration in search of better grazing lands • Famine • Permanent changes of settlement, social, and living patterns. • Major ecological changes (scrub growth, flash flooding and increased wind erosion of soils) • Desertification • Impact on development
- 9. Impact of Droughts…… • A famine -is a phenomenon in which a large percentage of the populations of a region or country are undernourished and that death by starvation becomes increasingly common.
- 10. Public health interventions for drought • Monitor health and nutritional status by assessing using anthropometric measurements; • Monitor death rate; • Ensure safe water, sanitation, and disease control. • Assess and ensure food safety and security, including availability, accessibility, and consumption pattern;
- 11. 3.Epidemic • Definition:- An epidemic is the occurrence of a number of cases of a disease in excess of the usual occurrence for a given place and time. • The spread of infectious disease depends upon preexisting levels of the disease, ecological changes resulting from disaster, population displacement, and changes in the density of population, disruption of public utilities, interruption of basic public health services, compromising sanitation and hygiene
- 12. Epidemic………. • many natural and/or man made disasters that affect or disrupt one or more parts of the public health infrastructure, including the sanitation systems, potable water supplies, nutrition stores, primary health care access (including routine immunization program), vector control programs, and established systematic surveillance mechanisms, can trigger infectious disease outbreaks.
- 13. Public health intervention for epidemics • Successful intervention requires rapid assessment to determine whether the breakdown points of infrastructure have occurred. • Disaster managers, public health specialists, and health care providers should pay specific attention to the degree to which infection control measures have been affected during the acute disaster phase and should repair those defects and treat the cases that have been known.
- 14. 4.Pest Infestation • Pest infestation can cause tremendous damage to crop production and thus undermine the food security of a particular area. • Locust (desert and migratory) and grasshopper’s infestations are the main threats in sub-Saharan Africa. • The spread of emergent diseases and invasive species has increased dramatically in recent years. • At the same time, numerous developments - such as the rapidly increasing trans-boundary movements of goods and people, trade liberalization, increasing concerns about food safety and the environment - have increased the need for international cooperation in controlling and managing trans-boundary pests and diseases.
- 15. Pest Infestation…………… Certain basic conditions affect the likelihood of trans- boundary pests and diseases establishing and spreading in regions or countries. These include: • Climate; • Geographical isolation; • Crops and livestock produced; • Production systems used; • Hosts and vectors wide spread in to the country; and • Control methods used as part of routine agricultural management.
- 16. Public health intervention: • FAO recommends complementing regulation and control of end products, currently the main focus of many food safety programs ,with preventive measures to control the introduction of hazards. • This requires the adoption of good practices - in primary production, postharvest, processing and handling - that reduce the risk of microbiological and chemical contamination. • In controls of food processing operations should be based on: - Good Hygienic Practices (GHP), - Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and - The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system, which identifies and then monitors the most vulnerable points in a food production system.
- 17. 5.Floods • Global statistics show that floods are the most frequently recorded destructive events, accounting for about 30% of the world’s disasters each year. • The frequency of floods is increasing faster than any type of disaster. Much of this rise in incidence can be attributed to uncontrolled urbanization and deforestation
- 18. Impacts Flood Acute effect:- • Death • Homelessness • Lose of food and water:-if drinking water supply and sanitation system is already in adequate flooding poses a further major health threat.
- 19. Impacts Flood……… Long term effect: - • Floodwaters provide an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes and an increased risk of diseases such as dengue, malaria and Rift Valley Fever. • They also displace rodent populations, which may cause human outbreaks of leptospirosis and Hantavirus infection. • The combined effects of open sewage and reduced opportunities for good personal hygiene also favor the spread of infections causing diarrhea, such as cholera and gastrointestinal viruses. • Flooding affects health indirectly through the widespread damage to the infrastructure of a community: its roads, buildings, equipment, drainage, sewerage and water supply systems • Mental distress-since people have lost their homes, their livelihood and their confidence.
- 20. Protective Measures Before a Flood, you should:- • Avoid building in a floodplain unless you elevate and reinforce your home. • Install "check valves" in sewer traps to prevent flood water from backing up into the drains of your home. • Construct barriers (levees, beams, floodwalls) to stop floodwater from entering the building. (waterproofing) • Learning swimming skill is helpful.
- 21. Protective Measures………. During a Flood -If a flood is likely in your area, you should: • Listen to the radio or television for information. • Be aware that flash flooding can occur. If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move immediately to higher ground. Do not wait for instructions to move. • Be aware of streams, drainage channels, canyons, and other areas known to flood suddenly. Flash floods can occur in these areas with or without such typical warnings as rain clouds or heavy rain.
- 22. Protective Measures………. After a Flood: the following are guidelines for the period following a flood: • Listen for news reports to learn whether the community’s water supply is safe to drink. • Avoid floodwaters; water may be contaminated by oil, gasoline, or raw sewage. Water may also be electrically charged from underground or downed power lines. • Be aware of areas where floodwaters have receded. Roads may have weakened and could collapse under the weight of a car. • Stay away from downed power lines, and report them to the power authorities. • Return home only when authorities indicate it is safe. • Stay out of any building if it is surrounded by floodwaters. • Clean and disinfect everything that got wet. Mud left from floodwater can contain sewage and chemicals. etc
- 23. Public Health Interventions • Conduct needs assessment to determine the status of public health infrastructure, utilities (e.g. water, sewage, electricity), and health, medical, and pharmaceutical needs. • Conduct surveillance of drinking water sources, injuries, increases in vector populations, and endemic, water-borne and vector-borne diseases. • Organize delivery of health care services and supplies, and continuity of care. • Educate public regarding proper sanitation and hygiene.
- 24. 6.Earthquakes • Earthquakes are sudden slippages or movements in a portion of the earth's crust accompanied by a series of vibrations. • Aftershocks of similar or lesser intensity can follow the main quake. • Earthquakes can occur at any time of the year. • An earthquake is generally considered to be the most destructive and frightening of all forces of nature. • Richter scale, used as an indication of the force of an earthquake, measures the magnitude and intensity or energy released by the quake. • It does not address the possible damaging effects of the earthquake.
- 25. Impact of Earthquake • Earthquake losses, like those of other disasters, tend to cause more financial losses in industrialized countries and, as the developed countries have better early warning systems and life saving means, more injuries and deaths occur in undeveloped countries. • Deaths and injuries from earthquakes vary according to the type of housing available, time of day of occurrence, and population density. • Common injuries include cuts, broken bones, crush injuries, and dehydration from being trapped in rubble. • Stress reactions are also common. • Morbidity and mortality can occur during the actual quake, the delayed collapse of unsound structures, or clean-up activity.
- 26. Public health interventions • Recommend items for inclusion in an extensive first aid kit and survival kit for home and automobile, and encourage maintenance of those kits; • Teach basic precautions regarding safe water and safe food; • Ensure the provision of emergency medical care to those who seek immediate care. • Ensure continuity of care for those who have lost access to prescriptions, home care, and other medical necessities;
- 27. Public health interventions…. • Conduct surveillance for communicable disease and injuries, including location and severity of injury, disposition of patients, and follow up contact information; • Prepare media advisories with appropriate warning and advice for injury prevention; • Establish environmental control; • Facilitate use of surveillance forms by search and rescue teams to record types of buildings, addresses of site, type of collapse, amount of dust, fire or toxic hazards, location of victims, and nature and severity of injuries.
- 28. 7.Pollutions • Pollution: is undesirable state of the natural environment being contaminated with harmful substances as a consequence of human activities. • Pollution is the contamination of the air, water, or earth by harmful substances.
- 29. 7.1.Air pollution • Air pollution: is the presence in the air of substances put there by the acts of man in concentrations sufficient to interfere with health, comfort, or safety, or with full use and enjoyment of property. • Primary Pollutants:-Particulate Matter (PM), Ozone (O3), Hydrocarbons, Nitrogen Oxides, Carbon Monoxide (CO), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2),
- 30. 7.2. Water pollution and contamination • With increased urbanization, increase in population density and industrialization, the problem of water pollution might also become more important. • The polluted water may cause death or diseases by poisoning. • Worldwide, a considerable number of diseases are linked to the interrelated problems of water quality, water availability, sanitation and hygiene. • The pollution may be on Marine or fresh water
- 31. 8. Fires • Two types of fire disasters:-domestic and wild fire • Fires can be triggered or exacerbated by lightning, high winds, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and deliberate setting of fire by human beings. • Lightning is the most significant natural contributor to fires affecting the building environment(Buildings with rooftop storage tanks for flammable liquids are particularly susceptible). • To protect yourself, it is important to understand the basic characteristics of fire. • Fire spreads quickly; there is no time to gather valuables or make a phone call. In just two minutes, a fire can become life- threatening. In five minutes, a residence can be engulfed in flames.
- 32. Health Impacts of fires • Heat and smoke from fire can be more dangerous than the flames. • Inhaling the super-hot air can sear your lungs. • Fire produces poisonous gases that make you disoriented and drowsy. • Instead of being awakened by a fire, you may fall into a deeper sleep. • Asphyxiation is the leading cause of fire deaths, exceeding burns by a three-to-one ratio.
- 33. Management Before a Fire (mostly for developed countries) • Install smoke alarms-Properly working smoke alarms decrease your chances of dying in a fire by half. • Have record of fire brigades telephone in safe and accessible to member of the family. • Making aware the people about care (prevention), escape mechanisms(Flammable Items, Heating Sources ,Smoking, Electrical Wiring)
- 34. Management………. During a Fire: • If your clothes catch on fire, you should Stop, drop, and roll - until the fire is extinguished. • Running only makes the fire burn faster. After a Fire • If you are with burn victims, or are a burn victim yourself, cool and cover burns to reduce chance of further injury or infection. • If you detect heat or smoke when entering a damaged building, evacuate immediately.etc
- 35. 10.Explosions • Explosions can inflict multi-system life- threatening injuries to many persons simultaneously. • Contributing factors include :-the composition and amount of the materials involved the environment in which the event occurs, the method of delivery, such as a bomb, the distance between the victim and the blast, and the absence/presence of protective barriers or environmental hazards in the area of the blast.
- 36. Public Health Interventions • Identify the medical institutions and personnel who can provide emergency care • Work with the regional Emergency Management Organization, police, fire, etc to have a plan in place to identify potential toxic exposures and environmental hazards for which the health department will need to help protect responders in the field and the community. • With the hospital community, establish a victim identification registry. • With the mental health community, plan for the reception and intervention with family and friends.