Health Aspect of Disaster Risk Assessment

1. Health Aspect of Disaster Risk Assessment Dr AA Abubakar Department of Community Medicine Ahmadu Bello University Zaria Nigeria

2. Disaster risk reduction as a developmental function • Disaster reduction is a developmental issue as: • Underlying causes of poverty, unsustainable development & disaster are related. Both can cause or increase vulnerability of people • Disasters can put development at risk • Development can cause or reduce disaster risk

3. Disaster risk assessment Definition: • Process of collecting & analyzing information about the nature, likelihood and severity of disaster risks

4. Phases in Risk Assessment • Problem identification • Research & Analysis • Decision making • Risk evaluation: evaluating & selecting models to adopt • Risk characterization: Technical accuracy of the analysis • Risk communication: Constant exchange among stakeholders with the intention of bringing congruence between actual, perceived & estimated risks

5. Uses of Disaster risk assessment • Makes risk responsive to physical & economic policy • Provides a regulatory framework for development • Promotes participatory development through public education & awareness • Promotes risk sharing & transfer of interventions

6. Limitations of Disaster Risk reduction • Inadequate assessment due to insufficient data or resources • Difficulty in attributing responsibility for disaster risks coming from different locations & sources • Assessment outcomes may not be politically acceptable

7. Key thematic areas in integrating disaster risk assessment in development sectors • Poverty reduction • Agriculture & rural development • Environmental management • Health issues • Water resource management • Land use planning • Infrastructure • Gender issues • Climate change adaptation Inter related

8. Health issues • Disaster & health reflect complex interaction of climatic, vector specific, political, demographic & development based factors • All other thematic areas directly or indirectly affect health • Risk characteristics of various epidemic diseases differ but some generic issues of risk reduction can be applied to various disease situations

9. Measures to mainstream disaster reduction activities in health • Adopting a multi-hazard approach to disaster risk management that includes epidemics & other biological hazards • Re-orienting the current focus on post-epidemic response towards prevention in managing health effects of disasters • Integrating health concerns in hazard control measures such as health implications of large open flood control water channels • Developing strategies for epidemic preparedness and emergency action

10. Measures to mainstream disaster reduction activities in health 2 • Developing integrated monitoring systems that include early detection of epidemics based on epidemiological data, early warning systems based on meteorological data and long-range forecasting • Integrating health information collection & monitoring in general vulnerability information systems such as environmental information systems • Monitoring & addressing long term factors of vulnerability to epidemics such as health care entitlement, immunity status, nutrition level, sexual behavior, population movement & status of routine control measures.

11. Guiding checklist for integrating disaster risk reduction in health • Current incidence & prevalence of the disease • Reason why the disease is a disaster risk problem • Population & locations at risk of the disease • Severity of the disease burden on affected populations • How natural hazards contribute to the disease burden • Factors that have the potential to increase the incidence and public health impact of infectious disease threats

12. Guiding checklist for integrating disaster risk reduction in health 2 • Does monitoring of the disease include early detection, seasonal transmission risk and long term vulnerability factors? • Routine monitoring of risk assessment & surveillance indicators • Integration of health, hazard indicators, socioeconomic changes & other factors of vulnerability in disease risk models • Cross border risks covered by health risk assessment • Transmission dynamics of the disease

13. Guiding checklist for integrating disaster risk reduction in health 3 • Vulnerability of the population to transmission potential from variations in exposure or coping ability • Expected outcome of the epidemic transmission potential in relation to the vulnerability of the population • Level of awareness of the risks of epidemics at local & national levels • Ability of public health units & health facilities to provide emergency services during disasters • Vulnerability of these services to disasters

14. Guiding checklist for integrating disaster risk reduction in health 4 • Availability of policies & programmes to tackle health issues during disasters • Effectiveness of activities & measures that individuals, communities & institutions take to reduce the burden of the disease • Does the prevention & control of the disease burden cover the use of multiple mitigation measures

15. Guiding checklist for integrating disaster risk reduction in health 5 • Extent of the use of evidence-based policies & strategies to prevent, control & eliminate epidemic diseases • Availability of training programmes and information systems to enhance the capacity of individuals, communities & institutions to reduce the risk of epidemic disasters • Use of local & traditional knowledge and experience to guide interventions aimed at reducing risk of epidemic diseases