Introduction
- Emergency situation: pandemic.
- Prevention, vaccination, vital capacity, and others matter.
- Natural disaster: extreme heat.
- Risk factors, prevention, and treatment are essential.
Hazard Analysis: Pandemic
- Ebola caused the destruction of public infrastructure.
- Specific problems existed before the pandemic.
- People die from illnesses like malaria and diarrhea.
- Increased fatality rates of other diseases like AIDS and tuberculosis.
- Long-term effects deteriorate health.
Resources
- West Africa was not prepared for the Ebola outbreak.
- No resources, including healthcare supplies and facilities, for an effective response.
- Infrastructure collapse and potential global threat.
Facilities
- Any type of treatment facilities.
- Crematoria.
Personnel
- Staff shortages of more than 50% at all levels of healthcare facilities.
- 539 of the 805 necessary medical workers (the minimum requirement for 82 health institutions).
- Consistent deficiency of 92% of the needed 569 non-medical staff (Sylvester Squire et al., 2017).
Medical Supplies & Equipment
- Create specialized air bridges to transport staff and supplies.
- Expand isolation centers.
- Introduce mobile laboratories to enhance diagnostic capabilities.
- Creating a network of field medical facilities.
Emergency and Disaster Relief
- Deploy citizen and military resources with knowledge of biohazard containment.
- Send teams for disaster relief.
- Implement cross-cutting investments.
Hazard Analysis: Extreme Heat
- Extreme heat is a natural disaster with health consequences ranging from moderate heat exhaustion and sunburns to lethal outcomes.
- Heat waves’ temperatures are relative to the regions.
- The recent extreme heat in the United Kingdom has led to 1,000 deaths, according to estimations.
Resources
- Ensure the protection of hospital infrastructure and equipment.
- Protect the vulnerable groups of people, such as older adults and children.
- Humanitarian aid is effective in mitigating resource shortages.
Facilities
- Protect power grids to ensure air conditioning in facilities.
- Prepare portable generators and chillers to mitigate risks.
Personnel
- Mobilization of healthcare professionals and social service workers in the emergency setting.
- Cooperation with local communities and volunteers.
- Creation of emergency teams to help people in public spaces.
Medical Supplies & Equipment
- Prioritize availability of cold water, air conditioning, and cooled spaces in hospitals.
- Stock medical supplies for older adults and other vulnerable groups.
Emergency and Disaster Relief
- Preventive measures are crucial and should emphasize vulnerable groups of people.
- Unprecedented natural disasters will inevitably lead to human losses.
- Humanitarian aid is less effective as a response to extreme heat compared to other natural disasters.
Reference List
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017) About extreme heat.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021) History of Ebola virus disease.
Fink, C. (2022) How one hospital prepared for the effects of extreme heat.
McKinsey & Company (2021) ‘McKinsey on Healthcare: Perspectives on the pandemic’, McKinsey’s Healthcare Systems & Services Practice.
O’Dwyer, E. (2022) UK heatwave: True impact of UK’s hottest day ever on deaths and hospitalisations will not be known for weeks.
Shoman, H., Karafillakis, E., and Rawaf, S. (2017) ‘The link between the West African Ebola outbreak and health systems in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone: a systematic review’, Globalization and Health, 13(1).
Sylvester Squire, J. et al. (2017), ‘The Ebola outbreak and staffing in public health facilities in rural Sierra Leone: who is left to do the job?’, Public Health Action, 7(1), S47-S54. Web.
UK Health Security Agency. (2022) Heatwave plan for England: Protecting health and reducing harm from severe heat and heatwaves.Web.
US Food & Drug Administration (2022) Survivor studies: better understanding Ebola’s after-effects to help find new treatments.