Designing the Emergency Response – Medical

An Annotated Bibliography by Calvin Chung

3^rd October 2005

Brennan, R. J., & Rimba, K. (2005). Rapid health assessment in aceh jaya district, indonesia, following the december 26 tsunami. Emergency Medicine Australasia : EMA, 17(4), 341-350.

This article introduces a rapid way to determine the public health impact of the Asian tsunami on the population of three communities in Aceh Jaya District, Indonesia, and to prioritize health interventions. Practical methods such as rapid health assessment, utilization of direct observations, interviews with key informants, a single focus group discussion and reviews of medical records are suggested. This source is useful in that the risk assessment process after the huge tsunami is clearly portraited, and evaluation on the process will lead to improvements in the relief efforts in future cases.

Carballo, M., Daita, S., & Hernandez, M. (2005). Impact of the tsunami on healthcare systems. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 98(9), 390-395.

This journal entry mainly describes the damage on healthcare systems by the large-scale tsunami and also suggests a few ways to minimize the loss brought by it. This source is useful as it identifies and gives clear description of the key damages on the healthcare system brought about by the tsunamis. Statistics are given to provide us with a clearer picture of the impacts of tsunamis.

Carballo, M., Heal, B., & Hernandez, M. (2005). Psychosocial aspects of the tsunami. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 98(9), 396-399.

While the article above focuses on healthcare systems, this report mostly deals with the psychosocial effects on the people affected by tsunamis. Relationships between social and psychological behaviors are also mentioned, e.g. how a person living in the tsunami area would be psychologically affected and how this would alter his sociality. This is one of the few articles that place the focus on psychosocial effects of tsunamis.

Carballo, M., Hernandez, M., Schneider, K., & Welle, E. (2005). Impact of the tsunami on reproductive health. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 98(9), 400-403.

This passage mentions an important element of health which is often being neglected, the reproductive health, mainly talking about how it can be affected by a tsunami. It mainly talks about how the reproductive health can be affected in the long-term but may not be discovered in the short-term. This passage also stresses on the need of reproductive health to be treated without much delay after huge disasters such as tusnmia attacks.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333 (USA). (2005). Rapid health response, assessment, and surveillance after a tsunami - thailand, 2004-2005. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 54(3), 61-64.

This report discusses the responses of the Thailand government and citizens to the tsunami with respect to medical relief. Evaluations are carried out and recommendations for future practices are also given. This source is very useful to our project as this is a recap of what was actually done by the Thailand government after the Dec 26 tsunami. By this, we will know what measures are successful and should be kept while how other relief measures can be improved.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333 (USA). (2004). Preliminary medical examiner reports of mortality associated with hurricane charley - florida, 2004. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 53(36), 835-837.

Though not related to tsunamis, this article is about a hurricane hazard which brought huge damage to Florida. It gives detailed descriptions on the medical relief actions taken. There is a strong relationship between this incident and the Dec 26 tsunami as both hazards brought about large amount of floodings without prior notice and thus evalutations on this hazard can be adopted in our tsunami case.

Chaya, M. (2005). Relieving suffering after the tsunami. Nursing, 35(8), 48-49.

An article related to nursing, this is a guide meant to give advice on how to lessen both physical and mental pain of those suffering from tsunami. This passage is useful in that it provides an account of the medication undertaken in a nursing perspective, which is less theoretical and more person to person.

Chierakul, W., Winothai, W., Wattanawaitunechai, C., Wuthiekanun, V., Rugtaengan, T., & Rattanalertnavee, J. et al. (2005). Melioidosis in 6 tsunami survivors in southern thailand. Clinical Infectious Diseases : An Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 41(7), 982-990.

Melioidosis is a highly fatal infectious bacterial disease that is characterized in humans by systemic caseous nodules. This article originates from the discovery of melioidosis on six tsunami survivors and discusses the probability of a massive outbreak of Melioidosis in South-east Asia. Methods of how this should be treated in the cases of insufficient medicine and equipment are suggested and this is indeed very informative.

Dumke, N. M. (2005). African nations neglected for help with tsunami relief. Journal of the National Medical Association, 97(4), 455.

While Asian countries receive large amounts of international funding, African nations affected by the tsunami are constantly being neglected even though the toll rates actually supersede that of most Asian countries, as brought up by this article. Although statistics on the fundings are not provided in this article, a brief comparison between what the Asian countries and the African countries can do provides a brief account on this incident. Calls for more fundings to be given to affected African nations  are also included in this passage.

Kateruttanakul, P., Paovilai, W., Kongsaengdao, S., Bunnag, S., Atipornwanich, K., & Siriwatanakul, N. (2005). Respiratory complication of tsunami victims in phuket and phang-nga. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet Thangphaet, 88(6), 754-758.

In the present report the authors describe the clinical and laboratory findings of 26 tsunami victims admitted to the Phuket and the Takua Pa Hospital. Patients were classified into 4 groups of severity, namely baseline examination negative, baseline examination positive but mechanical ventilation not needed on admission, mechanical ventilation required on admission and cardiopulmonary arrest. Respiratory diseases are found on a large percentage of tsunami survivors, most of them having previous records of such diseases. 

Lim, J. H., Yoon, D., Jung, G., Kim, W. J., & Lee, H. C. S. (2005). Medical needs of tsunami disaster refugee camps: Experience in southern sri lanka. Family Medicine, 37(6), 422-428.

In response to the massive tsunami disaster in South Asia, two Korean medical relief teams provided emergency medical care in the southern coastal area of Sri Lanka. Their findings are reported to provide a realistic picture of medical needs and to enable a better-prepared medical response to future disasters of this type. This source is useful as it is a recap of the actual situation of the refugee camps in Sri Lanka written by members of the professional relief teams. This helps us in realizing the things that need to be done in the relief efforts during post-tsunami periods.

MacDonald, R. (2005). How women were affected by the tsunami: A perspective from oxfam. PLoS Medicine / Public Libary of Science, 2(6), e178.

This report focuses mainly on the ways women can be affected by tsunami, such as human rights, health and psychological problems. Written in the perspective of Mcdonald, a medical officer related to Oxfam, real cases are provided as examples to make strong arguments. Towards the end of the passage, helpful suggestions are given to assist women in dealing with the problems that they will inevitably face in times of tsumai attacks.

Morgan, O., Ahern, M., & Cairncross, S. (2005). Revisiting the tsunami: Health consequences of flooding. PLoS Medicine / Public Libary of Science, 2(6), e184.
The author of the article focuses on the health problems brought about by the tsunami attack, such as massive outbreaks of highly-transmitted diseases and shortage of medical supplies. The focus of this passage is not on the immediate impacts of a tsunami, but on the health problems that will appear in cases of prolonged periods of flooding and delayed medications.

Morgan, O. (2005). Management of dead bodies in disaster situations. Disasters, 29(3), 288-289.

This article is about the methods and precautions of taking care of corpses after tsunami. Emphasis is placed on how the dead bodies should be treated to prevent an outbreak of diseases. This pasage is one of the few articles that talk about the management of corpses while relief efforts are still taking place, and it also mentions the methods of seperating injured patients and corpses in refugee camps to prevent transmission of disesaes.

Moszynski, P. (2005). Disease threatens millions in wake of tsunami. Clinical Research Ed.), 330(7482), 59.

This is an article which discusses the epidermal threat that the people in the affected regions may face. Introductions of the various diseases that can be led by a tsunami disaster are given and the methods to prevent the outbreak of these diseases are also suggested. This source can be regarded as a brief, general account of the impacts of tsunami in the epidermal aspect.

Mudur, G. (2005). Aid agencies ignored special needs of elderly people after tsunami. Clinical Research Ed.), 331(7514), 422.

This report emphasizes on the need of the elderly during the aftermath, such as rescue work and special medical treatements. The author also suggests several methods which can be employed to facilate the relief efforts during the aftermath while not ignoring the special needs of the elderly and the handicapped. This is one of the few sources that emphasize on the needs of people that require extra help.

Perera, C. (2005). After the tsunami: Legal implications of mass burials of unidentified victims in sri lanka. PLoS Medicine / Public Libary of Science, 2(6), e185.

Perera retells the situation in Sir Lanka breifly, mainly about the toll rate and the health problems that have appeared after the tsunami. The passage then goes on to discuss the legal implications of burials of unidentified victims. This includes a detailed description of the process of identification of victims in the future. Moral values of such an action are also discussed and are compared against the needs of it.

Pope, C. (2005). Tsunami relief. MGMA Connexion / Medical Group Management Association, 5(5), 60-61.

This is an article which gives a brief introduction of all the short-term work that has been done to minimize the loss brought by the tsunami. This source is helpful because it describes all the work done in an organised and brief manner and thus allows us to understand the situation in a short period of time.

Wiwanitkit, V. (2005). Emerging of admitted pneumonia after tsunami in phuket, thailand. Canadian Respiratory Journal : Journal of the Canadian Thoracic Society, 12(4), 224.

This report relates the outbreak of pneumonia in Thailand to the tsunami. Statistics of the incident are given, and it is found that the cases of pneumonia have risen after the tsunami and the number is likely to continue to increase. Brief suggestions on how to prevent the disease from spreading further are made, and these are good references when we are trying to come up with solutions to prevent the outbreak of other diseases.

Last Updated: October 3 2005