Children in a disaster: health protection and intervention

Abstract

Children are disproportionately affected by disasters. They have greater physiological, psychological and sociological vulnerabilities, often exacerbated by the fact that their unique needs can be overlooked during relief efforts. This article provides an overview of disasters, including how they are categorised, and the factors that need to be considered by military and civilian healthcare teams that respond to them. Information is drawn from a variety of previous disasters, with the effects considered across a range of different populations and communities. The lessons learnt from previous disasters need to inform the ongoing discussions around how to best train and supply both individual healthcare workers and the wider teams that will be expected to respond to future disasters. The importance of role-specific training incorporating caring for children, consideration of paediatric casualties during planning exercises and teaching scenarios, and the requirement for paediatric equipment and medications cannot be overemphasised. While provision of paediatric care may not be the primary role of an individual healthcare worker or their broader team, it still remains their ethical and often legal duty to plan for and deliver care for children when responding to a disaster. This is a paper commissioned as part of the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operations special issue of BMJ Military Health.

Infection Diseases Following Natural Disaster in Children: Health Prevention and Assessment

“…1 Data on pediatric health management are limited at this challenging time. 2 In this editorial article, post-natural disaster infections and prevention strategies will be considered after the last two devastating earthquakes (7.7 and 7.6 magnitudes) that occurred, on February 6, 2023, in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. 3…”

“…1 Data on pediatric health management are limited at this challenging time. 2 In this editorial article, post-natural disaster infections and prevention strategies will be considered after the last two devastating earthquakes (7.7 and 7.6 magnitudes) that occurred, on February 6, 2023, in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. 3 As a result of population growth in the world, global warming, scarcity of living areas, and urbanization are observed in many countries, and people are unfortunately settling in regions that are more susceptible to natural disasters.…”