ABSTRACT
Natural, technological, and human-induced disasters have a profound impact on a population’s health. Hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and terrorist attacks (including biological attacks) have the potential to cause thousands of deaths and the potential to contaminate the environment. In times of disaster, the main motivation of emergency health care is to prevent epidemics from developing and improve deteriorating health conditions among the affected population (Waring and Brown 2005). Emphasis is placed on controlling the spread of diseases that could potentially cause greater mortality and morbidity as a result of the conditions set by the disaster (US Agency for International Development 2002). According to Waring and Brown (2005), outbreaks that could potentially cause an even greater disaster on a community can be prevented when public health authorities can detect increases in symptoms by using preimpact epidemiologic information and assessing the community’s health as soon as possible. However, these initiatives are often complicated by the capacity of public health authorities, the placement of shelters, the provision of clean water and adequate nutrition, vaccinations, and health education. It is the role of public health authorities in the aftermath of disasters to attempt to resolve the issues that jeopardize the quality of these initiatives (Connolly 2005).
