Disaster medicine and public health preparedness
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Dec 2009
Emergency legal preparedness among select US local governments.
Legal preparedness is an essential component of effective public health emergency response, evinced recently by the numerous emergency declarations issued at the federal, state, and local levels to address the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak. Although the impact of these emergency laws at the federal and state levels has been studied extensively, the scope and role of local emergency laws have not been similarly assessed. In this article, we examine key issues of emergency laws among select US localities in the context of the recent H1N1 outbreak and their application to volunteer health professionals, who are often needed to meet patient surge capacity during local emergencies. ⋯ Local legal preparedness differs based on overarching restrictions such as the degree of home rule provided to localities under state law. Some localities take innovative legal approaches to address emergency preparedness. Although beneficial in many respects, these variations add additional complexity to legal preparedness and intensify the need for predisaster planning, exercises, and coordination.
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Dec 2009
Spring 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak in King County, Washington.
In April 2009, King County, Washington, experienced a sustained outbreak of 2009 H1N1 influenza A. This report describes the epidemiology of that outbreak in King County, home to a diverse population of 1.9 million people. ⋯ The spring 2009 influenza A H1N1 outbreak disproportionately affected children, young adults, and racial and ethnic minorities. Opportunities exist to improve the timeliness of antiviral treatment. Potential barriers to care for racial and ethnic minorities should be proactively addressed to ensure prompt evaluation and treatment.
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Dec 2009
Fatal work injuries involving natural disasters, 1992-2006.
Although a goal of disaster preparedness is to protect vulnerable populations from hazards, little research has explored the types of risks that workers face in their encounters with natural disasters. This study examines how workers are fatally injured in severe natural events. ⋯ Despite an increasing social emphasis on disaster preparation and response, there has been little increase in expert knowledge about how people actually perish in these large-scale events. Using a 2-way classification structure, this study identifies areas of emphasis in preventing occupational deaths from various natural disasters.
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On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike made landfall in Texas, resulting in the mandatory evacuation of 8 counties before landfall and the declaration of disaster areas in 29 counties afterward. This study evaluated whether Hurricane Ike affected the pattern of Texas poison center calls. Texas poison center calls received from the disaster area counties were identified for 3 time periods: August 12 to September 10, 2008 (preevacuation), September 11 to 13, 2008 (evacuation and hurricane landfall), and September 14 to 30, 2008 (postevacuation). ⋯ During the postevacuation period, higher than expected numbers of calls were observed for gasoline exposures (mean 5, BR -1 to 2) and carbon monoxide exposures (mean 3, BR -1-1). During an evacuation, certain calls such as those involving gasoline exposures may increase. After a hurricane, calls such as those involving carbon monoxide and gasoline exposures may increase.