The role of emergency health services in disasters

Disasters, depending on their type and magnitude, result in various levels of morbidity

and mortality. Except earthquakes that produce special demands, the number of disaster

victims requiring medical care is usually low. The demand for curative care is highest

during the acute emergency stage, when the affected population is most vulnerable to the

new environment and before basic public health measures such as water, sanitation and

shelter have been implemented. Afterwards, the priority should shift to preventive

measures that can improve the overall health of the displaced population dramatically.

Disasters call for a coordinated response between curative and preventive health services,

including food supply, water and sanitation. To minimise mortality and morbidity, it is

also necessary to organise the relief response according to three levels of preventive

health measures.

Primary prevention is the ultimate goal of preventive health care. It aims to prevent the

transmission of disease to generally healthy populations by using the following actions:

·       Promoting healthy practices;

·       Implementing public health measures that reduce a population’s exposure to risk

factors such as ensuring a safe drinking water supply to prevent diarrhoea, an

adequate food supply to minimise malnutrition and distributing mosquito nets to

prevent malaria.

·       Conducting medical interventions such as chemo-prophylactics against malaria and

measles immunisation.

Secondary prevention identifies and treats as early as possible diseased people to

prevent the infection from progressing to a more serious complication or death. This is

done using the following:

·       Alleviating symptoms of diseases such as giving Oral Rehydration Solution early to a

child with diarrhoea to prevent dehydration and possible death; and

·       Curing patients with diseases through early detection and treatment of TB, dysentery,

etc.

Tertiary prevention reduces permanent damage from disease such as a patient being

offered rehabilitative services to lower the effects of paralysis due to polio or land mine

injuries. you can get more health information through this link: http://healthee.pk/