Posted: August 30th, 2022

Health Care for People Affected by Disaster

Health Care for People Affected by Disaster
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 90,000 people perish each year from natural disasters. Thousands more are left emotionally vulnerable with injuries and other complications. Disasters don’t discriminate, but while this is true, the poor, the mentally challenged, the elderly and pregnant women are more susceptible to the impacts.
The health impacts include physical injuries, mental illnesses, and chronic diseases. These health consequences are determined by the type and magnitude of disaster as well as the composition of the population affected.
Below are some unique health Conditions prevalent with Populations Affected by Disaster
• Physical Injuries
Disasters like hurricanes and floods often claim a lot of lives and leave even more with physical injuries and others permanently disabled. Different hazards have different health impacts on the immediate population. Tsunamis and earthquakes are the deadliest with the highest number of casualties over the years. Disasters may destroy health facilities leaving people with inadequate facilities, delays and overworked physicians.
• Disease outbreaks
When disasters occur, they often result in mass destruction of infrastructure. Floods and fires destroy water supply lines, roads, schools and hospitals while extreme climatic conditions destroy crops. People cannot access basic needs like food or shelter, let alone health care. Insufficient infrastructure results to overcrowding- a perfect breeding ground for a variety of diseases.
This group of people stands at a higher risk of contracting airborne diseases such as tuberculosis. Hygiene related conditions such as typhoid and cholera are also prevalent due to poor sanitation such as clogged sewage and poor waste disposal. Nutrition-related illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes and malnutrition for young kids are also common.
• Mental Health
When disasters strike, the impacts are often overwhelming. People lose their homes and properties they worked for years to obtain. Some lose significant members of their family from the disasters and might find the sudden loss a challenge. These stressful situations often resolve themselves in the short term. However, some may extend for a long time and are likely to result in chronic mental conditions such as post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) and depression.
Disasters may destroy one or multiple health facilities and displace thousands of people. This may overwhelm remaining facilities with physician attending to double the number of patients they should handle in a day. Understanding the health issues of the victims is vital for health care professionals as they try to extend effective health care services. States should also try to avail emergency components such as transport for the injured, and other vital services like trauma care to try and manage the daily influx of the victims.

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