Global Health Disaster Management

By Mbuso Mabuza

The aim of this book is to give you a thorough grounding in, and comprehensive overview of the role of public health in the management of disasters, including the requisite preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery relating to these situations.

The first principle of the health care profession is to protect life. Disasters threaten both life and health, and the predicament of people impacted by disaster is irreconcilable with the World Health Organization's definition of health. For health professionals, the objective of disaster management is to decrease the avoidable mortality, morbidity, and disability resulting from disaster, as well as any damage to health facilities and systems. It is broadly acknowledged that expertise in health and nutrition has been making a significant contribution to disaster management for the last three decades.

Devastating pandemics such as the COVID-19 have taught us the critical importance of effective pandemic preparedness, the strengthening, resilience and sustainability of health systems. The COVID-19 pandemic left not only patients and the general public with unanswered questions, but also healthcare practitioners and political decision-makers.

This book will give you a theoretical awareness of the effects of natural and man-made disasters on society, as well as a detailed foundation in the requirements of public health prior to, during, and after occurrence. Specifically, the following topics are covered in this book: introduction to disasters; mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery; disaster risk management and humanitarian assistance; sudden onset natural disasters; biological hazards – epidemics, epizootics and pests; technological and socioeconomic hazards; food shortages and slow onset natural crises; and food relief.

A holistic and critical approach to the disaster cycle/disaster-development continuum may provide a better opportunity to address the root cause of vulnerability, but an uncritical strategy may do more harm than good. The concept of vulnerability or vulnerable groups should not inadvertently create the risk of group discrimination but paying attention to the root causes of the dynamism and vulnerability of certain groups could provide us with lasting solutions for disaster management. Recovery, mitigation and preparedness are essential, but planning, leadership and coordination are crucial to ensure that there is effective and sustainable disaster reduction.

Climate change has an influence in extreme weather events resulting in disasters, and this needs urgent interventions in the context of disaster management, while also bearing in mind that there are constraints and challenges with regard to addressing the issue of climate change and its influence on disasters.

There needs to be prioritisation of psychological consequences for disaster preparedness and response, while at the same time we also need to be cautious of instrumentalising decisions because managing disaster may be complex, multidimensional and individually unique. The health sector can best contribute to mitigation against and preparation for possible future food shortage crises by influencing political decision-making and facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships to ensure that there is adequate resource allocation and capacity to address the issue of food shortages.

The known strategies and frameworks of mitigation against and preparation for future food shortage crises are all important, but we need to be aware that nutritional concerns in low- and middle-income countries are diverse, and the burden of diseases can complicate the whole picture and create a novelty of food shortage. Early warning systems can be more useful if they are linked to and complemented by timely response mechanisms.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mbuso Mabuza
• Release date: Oct 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201926540

Mbuso Mabuza

Dr Mbuso Mabuza is a highly motivated and multi-skilled international public health professional who has served in the public and private sectors of different countries. He has served as a prevention specialist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and as a consultant at the World Bank, among others. His mission is to improve health outcomes and to expand quality healthcare experiences amongst all groups of people and influence change and innovation.

Book preview

Preface

The aim of this book is to give you a thorough grounding in, and comprehensive overview of the role of public health in the management of disasters, including the requisite preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery relating to these situations.

The first principle of the health care profession is to protect life. Disasters threaten both life and health, and the predicament of people impacted by disaster is irreconcilable with the World Health Organization’s definition of health. For health professionals, the objective of disaster management is to decrease the avoidable mortality, morbidity, and disability resulting from disaster, as well as any damage to health facilities and systems. It is broadly acknowledged that expertise in health and nutrition has been making a significant contribution to disaster management for the last three decades.

Devastating pandemics such as the COVID-19 have taught us the critical importance of effective pandemic preparedness, the strengthening, resilience and sustainability of health systems. The COVID-19 pandemic left not only patients and the general public with unanswered questions, but also healthcare practitioners and political decision-makers.

This book will give you a theoretical awareness of the effects of natural and man-made disasters on society, as well as a detailed foundation in the requirements of public health prior to, during, and after occurrence. Specifically, the following topics are covered in this book: introduction to disasters; mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery; disaster risk management and humanitarian assistance; sudden onset natural disasters; biological hazards – epidemics, epizootics and pests; technological and socioeconomic hazards; food shortages and slow onset natural crises; and food relief.

A holistic and critical approach to the disaster cycle/disaster-development continuum may provide a better opportunity to address the root cause of vulnerability, but an uncritical strategy may do more harm than good. The concept of vulnerability or vulnerable groups should not inadvertently create the risk of group discrimination but paying attention to the root causes of the dynamism and vulnerability of certain groups could provide us with lasting solutions for disaster management. Recovery, mitigation and preparedness are essential, but planning, leadership and coordination are crucial to ensure that there is effective and sustainable disaster reduction.

Climate change has an influence in extreme weather events resulting in disasters, and this needs urgent interventions in the context of disaster management, while also bearing in mind that there are constraints and challenges with regard to addressing the issue of climate change and its influence on disasters.

There needs to be prioritisation of psychological consequences for disaster preparedness and response, while at the same time we also need to be cautious of instrumentalising decisions because managing disaster may be complex, multidimensional and individually unique. The health sector can best contribute to mitigation against and preparation for possible future food shortage crises by influencing political decision-making and facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships to ensure that there is adequate resource allocation and capacity to address the issue of food shortages.

The known strategies and frameworks of mitigation against and preparation for future food shortage crises are all important, but we need to be aware that nutritional concerns in low-income and middle-income countries are diverse, and the burden of diseases can complicate the whole picture and create a novelty of food shortage. Early warning systems can be more useful if they are linked to and complemented by timely response mechanisms.

DR MBUSO MABUZA

International Public Health and Medicine Consultant

Chapter 1

Introduction to disasters

1.1 Risk, magnitude and change

Change can be regarded as any variation of the status quo (Muller, Bezuidenhout and Jooste, 2006). Change is inevitable in every aspect of life, and it is influenced by change agents, the most powerful of which are called drivers or driving forces which may create risks and/or opportunities (Thompson, Strickland and Gamble, 2007). According to Coppola (2011), risk can be regarded as the probability that fatalities and/or injuries and/or damage will occur, whereas opportunity can be regarded as a good chance to do better.

There are different levels of change, and the drivers of change do not necessarily happen in isolation, but they are often interlinked, and the major ones may include climatic and environmental change, demographic and social transition, and economic and geopolitical transition (Coppola, 2011). 

Sometimes change happens very fast, and such change can be regarded as transformational or chaotic, and this may result in serious risks or even missed opportunities especially if such change is unanticipated (Muller, Bezuidenhout and Jooste, 2006). The impact of the risks may be profound especially if the affected individuals or communities are vulnerable, such as in the low income countries (Merson, Black and Mills, 2012).

One has already witnessed the devastating effects of fire and floods in the informal settlements of South Africa, and the consequences have been more pronounced because of the rapid overcrowding in urban areas. McMichael (2002) highlights that globalisation and urbanisation has a great influence on the rapid social and economic changes.

In 1984, the Swaziland Disaster Task Team was immediately formed in the aftermath of the devastating effects of Cyclone Domoina that had severely hit Swaziland. This was a huge opportunity for putting measures in place to be better prepared for disasters that could occur in the future. There could be other direct and indirect benefits such as greater public awareness of such risk, new technologies and creation of jobs during the reconstruction (Coppola, 2011).

However, Kent (2006) observes that there could still be further unintended consequences due to decision-makers’ inability to plan or implement the measures properly. For instance victims of disaster may be forced to relocate as part of mitigating the risk, but the consequences of the relocation may be overlooked, especially with regard to the demographic, social and political factors pertaining to the new comers being integrated with the locals who will have to compete for the same resources. There is no doubt that the magnitude of the risk of global climate change may require adaptation and international intervention (Coppola, 2011). 

If change is deliberate and happens slowly or gradually, such change can be regarded as transitional, and the magnitude of the risks is usually minimal because there is possibly an opportunity to properly anticipate, and manage the consequences or outcomes during the course of the change process (Muller, Bezuidenhout and Jooste, 2006).

Change happens in a number of ways and at different rates in particular places, and it is reported that the rate of change has greater impact than the direction of the change (Muller, Bezuidenhout and Jooste, 2006). Change always brings risks and/or opportunities, and the faster the change, the higher the risk, or bigger the missed opportunity.

1.2 Risk, magnitude, trends, and rapid demographic transition

RAPID DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION influences our ability to manage disasters. According to Merson, Black and Mills (2012), rapid demographic transition is