An Overview of the Strengths and Challenges Related to Health on the First 10 Days after the Large Earthquake in the West of Iran, 2017
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Abstract
Background: The objective of the present study was to investigate the strength and weaknesses of healthcare management during the first 10 days after the earthquake in Sarpol-e Zahab in Kermanshah, Iran.
Methods: This qualitative, observational study was conducted on November 13-23, 2017 in the disaster area, by using content analysis. Data was collected through experts and focus group interviews with professional and healthcare staff, and policy-makers.
Results: Our findings were categorized into 7 major groups; environmental health; mental health; mothers, infants and children’s health; field hospital; nutrition; contagious diseases; drug delivery. There were good cooperation and coordination regarding environmental health issues. However, other categories were handled by different organizations and resulted in a chaotic situation.
Conclusion: The post-earthquake period is overwhelmed with considerable issues regarding the care of victims and therapeutic measures. Lack of quick, reliable, and appropriate management will result in extensive health issues, including epidemic, worsening of chronic diseases, and exacerbation of mental disorders.
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2. Ghanbari V, Khankeh H, Hossaini M et al (2011). The effect of a disaster nursing education program on nurses’ preparedness for responding to probable natural disasters. Iran Journal of Nursing, 24:72-80.
3. Akbari M, Farshad A, Asadi-Lari M (2004). The devastation of Bam: an overview of health issues 1 month after the earthquake. Public Health, 118:403-408.
4. Tanaka H, Oda J, Iwai A et al (1999). Morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients after the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. Am J Emerg Med, 17:186-191.
5. Kuwabara H, Shioiri T, Toyabe SI et al (2008). Factors impacting on psychological distress and recovery after the 2004 Niigata–Chuetsu earthquake, Japan: Community‐based study. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 62:503-507.
6. Montazeri A, Baradaran H, Omidvari S et al (2005). Psychological distress among Bam earthquake survivors in Iran: a population-based study. BMC Public Health, 5:4.
7. Cao H, McFarlane AC, Klimidis S (2003). Prevalence of psychiatric disorder following the 1988 Yun Nan (China) earthquake. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 38:204-212.
8. Ahmadi A, Bazargan-Hejazi S (2018). 2017 Kermanshah earthquake; lessons learned. J Inj Violence Res, 10(1):1-2.
9. Mahani AB, Kazemian J (2018). Strong ground motion from the November 12, 2017, M 7.3 Kermanshah earthquake in western Iran. J Seismol:1-20.
10. Kuang J, Ge L, Metternicht GI et al (2018). Coseismic deformation and source model of the 12 November 2017 MW 7.3 Kermanshah Earthquake (Iran–Iraq border) investigated through DInSAR measurements. International Journal of Remote Sensing:1-23.
11. Myhre D, Bajaj S, Fehr L et al (2017). Precepting at the time of a natural disaster. Clin Teach, 14:104-107.
12. Benjamin E, Bassily-Marcus AM, Babu E et al (2011). Principles and practice of disaster relief: lessons from Haiti. Mt Sinai J Med, 78:306-318.
13. Pascapurnama DN, Murakami A, Chagan-Yasutan H et al (2016). Prevention of tetanus outbreak following natural disaster in Indonesia: lessons learned from previous disasters. Tohoku J Exp Med, 238:219-227.
14. Pal S, Juyal D, Sharma M, Kotian S, Negi V, Sharma N (2016). An outbreak of hepatitis A virus among children in a flood rescue camp: A post-disaster catastrophe. Indian J Med Microbiol, 34:233-6.
15. Watson JT, Gayer M, Connolly MA (2007). Epidemics after natural disasters. Emerg Infect Dis, 13(1):1-5.
16. Udomratn P (2008). Mental health and the psychosocial consequences of natural disasters in Asia. Int Rev Psychiatry, 20:441-444.
17. Myles P, Swenshon S, Haase K et al (2018). A comparative analysis of psychological trauma experienced by children and young adults in two scenarios: evacuation after a natural disaster vs forced migration to escape armed conflict. Public Health, 158:163-175.
18. Brooks SK, Dunn R, Amlôt R et al (2017). Social and occupational factors associated with psychological wellbeing among occupational groups affected by disaster: a systematic review. J Ment Health, 26:373-384.
19. Phalkey R, Reinhardt JD, Marx M (2011). Injury epidemiology after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake in India: a retrospective analysis of injuries treated at a rural hospital in the Kutch district immediately after the disaster. Glob Health Action, 4:7196.
20. Walton DA, Ivers LC (2011). Responding to cholera in post-earthquake Haiti. N Engl J Med, 364(1):3-5.
21. Hung KK, Lam EC, Chan EY, Graham CA (2013). Disease pattern and chronic illness in rural China: The Hong Kong Red Cross basic health clinic after 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Emerg Med Australas, 25:252-259.
22. Glynn LM, Wadhwa PD, Dunkel-Schetter C et al (2001). When stress happens matters: effects of earthquake timing on stress responsivity in pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 184:637-642.
23. Chang HL, Chang TC, Lin TY, Kuo SS (2002). Psychiatric morbidity and pregnancy outcome in a disaster area of Taiwan 921 earthquake. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 56:139-144.
24. Lederman SA, Rauh V, Weiss L et al (2004). The effects of the World Trade Center event on birth outcomes among term deliveries at three lower Manhattan hospitals. Environ Health Perspect, 112:1772-8.
25. Mori J, Hasui K, Tanimoto T, Matsumura T, Kami M (2012). Drug shortages after the Eastern Japan Earthquake: experiences in a tertiary referral center. Drug Inf J, 46:607-610.
26. Mark J, Krajeweki R, Sztajnkrycer M, Alejandro A (2005). Hospital disaster preparedness in United States: New issues, new challenges. J Disaster Med, 4:22-5.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 48 No 5 (2019) | |
| Section | Original Article(s) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v48i5.1829 | |
| Keywords | ||
| Earthquake Healthcare Disaster management Iran | ||
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
How to Cite
1.
PEYRAVI M, AHMADI MARZALEH M, KHORRAM-MANESH A. An Overview of the Strengths and Challenges Related to Health on the First 10 Days after the Large Earthquake in the West of Iran, 2017. Iran J Public Health. 2019;48(5):963-970.
