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6 Million Philippine Flood Victims Threatened By Outbreaks Of Communicable Diseases

ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2006) — MANILA/GENEVA -- Communicable diseases including malaria

and diarrhoeal diseases threaten the lives of 3.6 million victims of recent storms and landslides
in the Philippines. To tackle these health threats and to meet pressing relief needs, a "Flash
Appeal" to raise US$6.4 million was launched today by the Government of the Philippines and
the UN Country Team in the Philippines.

Four consecutive typhoons and tropical storms in late November and early December left 1,060
people dead, 1,023 injured and 559 missing in the north-east of the Philippines, while affecting
an additional 3.6 million people. Many of the 880,000 people displaced by the floods are now
reliant on external sources to meet their basic needs.

"This has been a terrible tragedy, and its impact is felt even more in this period just before the
holidays," said Dr Jean-Marc Olivé, WHO Representative in the Philippines. "The priority now,
from WHO's perspective, is to safeguard the health of survivors and to rehabilitate public health
services. This task will demand considerable funds and great commitment from all involved."

The Philippine Department of Health has mobilized medical teams for rapid health assessments,
surveillance, psychosocial services, and environmental health. Emergency drugs and medicines
have been provided. Health education and public information in all affected areas have been
intensified. However, the health of the affected population continues to be at risk given the
immensity of the crisis.

Diarrhoeal diseases and upper respiratory infections require urgent attention. Survivors lack
adequate access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. There is an increased risk of an
outbreak of malaria, as it is endemic in the Philippines and standing water increases the
likelihood of an outbreak of vector- and water-borne diseases. The nutritional status of the
affected population needs to be closely monitored. Health facilities have suffered US$ 1.1
million in damages. Key equipment and medicine stocks were washed away or buried in mud.
The remaining facilities are unequipped to meet the escalated needs of the affected population.
The cold chain for the storage of vaccines and other essential medicines has been damaged by
electricity outages. Many essential drugs and priority medical supplies need to be replaced.

WHO, at the request of the Department of Health, is focusing on malaria preparedness and
outbreak control in the northern Philippines. Interventions will target a population of 200 000,
for the possibility of 80 000 cases of malaria (estimates based on previous experiences).

Additional WHO activities are in the area of emergency response coordination and support to
health authorities. These include: provision of medicines and supplies; water purification;
technical assistance (forensic pathology, health services management, environmental health,
and psychosocial care), health promotion activities and rapid response logistics.
In order to meet the needs of the affected population, WHO is encouraging the international
community to unite in its response. WHO urges donors to fund health-related projects in the
UN Flash Appeal (totalling US$ 545,635, of which US$ 365,000 are for projects to be
implemented by WHO, national health authorities, and other humanitarian health actors).
Additional projects to secure the basic health needs of children and women in typhoon-affected
areas are being carried out by UNICEF, national authorities and NGOs.

"We also encourage donors to provide resources for the other components of the Flash Appeal
—covering food for recovery, water and sanitation, non-food items, education, agriculture and
livelihoods, and disaster preparedness—as these areas contribute to the immediate and long-
term improved health status of the population," said Dr David Nabarro, Representative of the
WHO Director-General for Health Action in Crises.

Summary of the Chosen Article

The article is about on how certain natural phenomena like typhoons that really affect the
communities especially on the health of the people surrounding it. It is said in the article that
on late November and early December the calamity left 1,060 people dead, 1,023 injured and
559 missing in the north-east of the Philippines, while affecting an additional 3.6 million people.
There are great needs for medical assistance and control of disease outbreaks in the
Philippines. Some communicable diseases that maybe a threat to the community are : Malaria,
leptospirosis. Cholera, Dengue, diarrhea and upper respiratory diseases.

The significance of the article to the practice of nursing?

The significance of this article to the practice of nursing is that we are informed by these kinds
of phenomena, especially natural phenomena which are inevitable. As of now, disaster and
management program of the Philippines is not that reliable and a great number of people have
been affected by the typhoons. There are needs for further assistance and innovation to the
ways and practices of the medical practitioners especially the CHW’s to control and eliminate
the spread of disease in the community.

The student nurses

The advantage of this article is to inform us and provide us information about these kinds of
circumstances. For all we know, the government cannot support all the expenses when it
comes to these kinds of disasters, as well as we are able to know what to do when time comes
and it happens again. As student nurses, we are able to identify the things that we should
provide in terms of health teachings to the people at risk on how to prevent the spread of
disease by advising to take care of themselves and have the community clean at all times.

Community

A clean community will take the people out of risk. Conducting programs and seminars about
the control of common communicable diseases in times of disasters will halp the community to
preven such outbreaks. Survivors lack adequate access to safe drinking water and sanitation
facilities. So indeed, proper health education in the community will help the control of disease
as well as help from the government in terms of supplies and financial means will help as well.

Personal and Learning Insights

As a student nurse, I have learned that financial matters the most in this kind of situation. If
supplies and equipments are not enough for disease management and control as well as
disaster management, we will not be able to meet our goals. It will just lessen the burden at
first but will not last. It’s just like giving first aid, but later on, it needs more care but without
proper equipments and facilities, the health status of the client will deplete. And as time passes
by, the client can be highly contagious which will make the scenario worst.

Recommendations

I recommend that the government will give priority in the health section to provide millions of
Filipinos the benefits that they deserve. As well as giving each community a disaster unit
together with medical practitioners (CHW’s. Nurses and doctors) to provide health teachings
and seminars to the people in the community for them to know what they can do in times of
disaster like this.