Introduction “Although pandemics occur infrequently, planning and preparing for a pandemic is important to ensure an effective response. Planning for and responding to a pandemic is complex and pandemics can…
The demands of international disaster relief have changed over the past decade in the spectrum of threats, the field of operations, and scope of medical care. International disasters include large-scale…
Further Reading Although this material is provided as a convenient initial reference, readers are strongly recommended to refer to the resources listed at the end of this chapter for more…
Introduction Armed conflicts and natural disasters cause significant challenges to the long-term mental health and psychosocial well-being of the affected population. Millions of people in many countries of the world…
Surgery A significant number of Western physicians and other medical associates develop professional relationships with organizations involved with overseas medical care. The nature and extent of involvement ranges from brief…
Background ■ Refugee (based on the 1951 Convention’s Article One): an individual, who, because of actual and present fear of hostility and treatment, as a result of his/her ethnic group,…
Introduction When disaster strikes, time is of the essence. Disaster responders, including medical personnel, who travel to respond to a disaster may not dedicate the same amount of time and…
Site Selection/Establishing Camp Responders to a disaster are rarely afforded the luxury of selecting a site for creating a displaced persons camp. Despite the realities of establishing field operations in…
Environmental Diseases In the following pages the most common environmental diseases will be presented. They will be divided according to the causative factor. Basic Physics Definitions Definitions below will be…
General Principles Within developed countries, regulatory and engineering controls have largely limited the population’s exposure to many fatal pesticides and industrial toxins; however, worldwide, poisoning accounts for substantial morbidity and…
