Disaster Reports Number 2: Jamaica, St. Vincent, and Dominica (PAHO)

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Natural disaster and communicable diseases

1. Definition

2. Experiences with communicable disease following natural disasters in developing countries

3. Theoretical framework

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3.1. Introduction of a new pathogenic agent

3.2. A change in susceptibility of the population by or because of the disaster

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3.2.1. Migration of rural populations to congested areas:

3.2.2. Migration of urban populations to rural areas:

3.2.3. Immigration of susceptibles to disaster-affected areas:

3.2.4. Accelerated transmission of local pathogens:

Three disaster experiences in the Caribbean St. Vincent : volcanic eruptions, April 1979(37)

1. Background information

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1.1. The volcano

2. The disaster: Volcanic eruption followed by massive evacuation(41)

3. The surveillance system

3.1. Background information

3.2. Emergency surveillance for infectious diseases in evacuation centers

3.3. Surveillance for admissions to the medical and pediatric wards of the Kingstown General Hospital (KGH)

3.4. Surveillance of casualty department visits

3.5. Surveillance of environmental health at evacuation centers

3.6. Surveillance of public health activities in or/for evacuation centers

3.7. Routine surveillance

4. Results and analysis

4.1. Emergency surveillance in evacuation centers

4.1.1. Functioning of system

4.1.2. Report a and analysis

4.1.3. Outbreaks

4.2. Hospital surveillance - Total number of admissions, admissions to pediatric ward, admissions to medical ward(s)

4.3. Surveillance in the casualty department

4.4. Surveillance of environmental health in evacuation centers

4.5. Surveillance of public health activities in centers

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4.5.1. Staff

4.5.2. Vaccine

4.5.3. Record keeping

4.6. Routine surveillance

Jamaica floods, June 1979

1. Background information (48-50)

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1.1. The floods

2. Surveillance system

3. Results and analysis

3.1. System

3.2. Results

4. Specific surveillance

4.1. Disease-specific surveillance

4.2. Hospital surveillance

4.3. Environmental health activities

4.4. Water supplies

Dominica hurricane, September 1979

1. Background information

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1.1. Hurricane David, with almost complete destruction of the island(57-58)

2. The surveillance system

3. Results and analysis

3.1. Operation of the system

3.2. Casualty and health center surveillance

3.3. Hospital admission surveillance

3.4. Laboratory surveillance

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3.4.1. Typhoid fever

3.4.2. Amebic dysentery

3.4.3. Shigellosis

3.5. Environmental health and public health activities

3.6. Routine surveillance

III: Summary of practical experiences: Lessons learned

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1. Regarding the surveillance system

2. Regarding the capacity to detect outbreaks

3. Regarding the occurrence of outbreaks

4. Regarding the overall usefullness of post-disaster epidemiologic surveillance

Annex A - Control of infectious diseases following natural disasters

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1. Epidemiologic surveillance

2. The most immediate effect of most disasters is on environmental health

3. the third element is the immediate resumption or the strengthening of routine public health programs

Annex B - Disease control and disaster-relief

1. Disaster-relief activities should in no way be exempt from the attention of disease control programs

2. At the same time full advantage should be taken of disaster relief and personnel to obtain longterm impact on disease occurrence and control

References