EMERGENCY AND

EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS
Emergency preparedness

• Is a programme of long-term activities whose goals are to strengthen the

overall capacity and capability of a facilty and its community to manage
efficiently all types of emergencies and bring about an orderly transition from
relief through recovery, and back to sustained development
• It requires development of emergency plans, training of the responsible
personnel, education of the community at risk and also monitoring and
evaluating measures implemented against the hazard
• The emergency preparedness and response plan outlines the activities to be carried
before, during and after an emergency which involves
•• Activation of plans
•• Mock drills
•• Confirmation of existence of a health emergency
•• Disaster needs assessment
•• Coordination
•• Implementation of the required activities
•• Monitoring and evaluation
•• Review of emergency preparedness plan
Definitions and Terminology in
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Emergency
• A sudden occurrence demanding immediate action that may be due to epidemics, to
natural, to technological catastrophes, to strife or to other man-made causes.
Emergency preparedness
• Is a programme of long-term activities whose goals are to strengthen the overall
capacity and capability of a country or a community to manage efficiently all types of
emergencies and bring about an orderly transition from relief through recovery, and
back to sustained development. It requires that emergency plans be developed,
personnel at all levels and in all sectors be trained, and communities at risk are
educated, and that these measures are monitored and evaluated regularly
Crisis
• Is an event or series of events representing a critical threat to the health, safety, security or wellbeing of
a community, usually over a wide area.

Disaster
• A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society causing widespread human,
material, economic or environmental losses that exceed the ability of the affected community or society
to cope using its own resources.

Hazard
• Any phenomenon that has the potential to cause disruption or damage to people and their environment.
A hazard analysis is a process carried out to identify the hazards that the community is vulnerable to.

Risk
• The probability of harmful consequences, or expected losses (deaths, injuries, property, livelihood,
economic activity disrupted or environment damaged) resulting from interactions between natural or
human-induced hazards and vulnerabilities
Risk Reduction
• Involves measures designed either to prevent hazards from creating risks or to lessen the distribution, intensity
or severity of hazards. These measures include appropriate land-use planning. They also include vulnerability
reduction measures such as awareness raising, improving community health security, and relocation or
protection of vulnerable populations or structures.

Susceptibility
• Refers to condition that allows a hazard to cause a disaster e.g. living in a low lying area prone to flooding.

All-Hazard

• Entails developing and implementing emergency management strategies for the full range of likely risks and
emergencies (natural, biological, technological and societal). Different hazards and emergencies can cause
similar problems in a community; and such measures as planning, early warning, intersectoral and inter
sectoral coordination, evacuation, health services and community recovery are usually implemented along the
same model adopted by the community regardless of cause.
A Whole-Health
Approach refers to the planning and effective coordination of health and other sectors with the designated
national multisectoral emergency management agency Technical leadership may vary but emergency
planning processes, overall coordination procedures, surge and operational platforms should be unified
under one emergency preparedness and response unit.

Vulnerability
The conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes, which
increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards.
The degree, to which a population or an individual is unable to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover
from the impact of a disaster.

Mitigation
Refers to measures taken to reduce the impact of a potential hazard e.g. protection of houses from
lightning etc.
Major players involved

Responding to public health emergencies is not the sole responsibility of the health
workers only; a number of players are involved before, during and after an emergency.
• Department of Civil Protection and government departments
• Local Volunteers
• Citizens
• Non-governmental Organisations
• Businesses community
• Local authorities
• Community at risk
Therefore, it is necessary to put in place a plan with mechanism for preparedness and
response mechanisms which includes roles and responsibilities for all the different
stakeholders since everyone is involved.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Emergency preparedness and response requires a multi sectoral approach. Civil protection committee
coordinating with health, other sectors as well as humanitarian and development partners. This approach
is crucial in the reduction of public health emergencies and disasters.
A comprehensive disaster preparedness plan includes the following elements:
• Hazard, risk and vulnerability assessments
• Preparedness and Response mechanisms and strategies
• Coordination mechanisms
• Information management
• Early warning systems
• Resource mobilisation
• Public education, training and simulations

The emergency preparedness needs to be treated as a continuous and integrated process involving both
relief and development. Since disaster preparedness depends on shared goals and activities across
sectors, it is important that the concept be integrated into all on-going health related projects
Cont….
• Management of major disasters in the district is coordinated by the rapid response team (RRT) in line
with the Department of Civil Protection mandated by the Civil Protection Act of 1989. It is a requirement
under the Act that sectors develop emergency preparedness and response plans.
• The Rapid Response Team is the proactive arm of the EPR Committee and is expected to report
immediately to ensure that outbreak response from community to district level is swift and will curtail
further spread, illness and death
RAPID RESPONSE TEAM AT
DISTRICT LEVEL
. Team leader: - Epidemiology and Disease Control Officer or other
representative as appointed by the PMD or DMO
• Presents available information
• Outlines investigation plans
• Assigns roles and responsibilities
• Overseers team members roles
• Communicates with media
• Communicates with other officials
Epidemiologist: DMO , Director City Health , Medical Superintendent

• Verifies the existence of outbreak

• To coordinate the activities of the RRT related to the investigation and
containment of suspected or confirmed outbreak
• Identifies and coordinates control measures
• Institutes case management measures
• Supervises data collection and data analysis in order to give information on the
evolution of the outbreak
• To liaise with all stakeholders involved in the investigation and response of the
outbreak
• To collect all available information from the provincial (sub -national) focal
points prior to the field mission and prepare to the logistic of the mission in
collaboration with the Team Leader
• To alert all relevant national health authorities
Environmental health officer

• Conduct epidemiological field investigations

• Case follow up and contact tracing
• Environmental decontamination
• Provide community education about the outbreak
• Liaise with stakeholders involved in the field investigation
• Enforcing the provisions of the Public Health Act, including premises
inspections, food condemnations arranging for water and food quality testing
• Liaises with the Health Promotions Officer on provision of social mobilization
and community education
• Siting and setting up of CTC in consultation with other members
• Overseers preparation of chlorine solutions for disinfection
Health promotions officer

• Identifies, orients and trains community health workers about the outbreak
• Conducts rapid assessments to establish pre disposing factors, risk behaviour,
determinants and gaps
• Develops and distribute IEC materials based on findings
• Mobilizes stakeholders to support health education
• Conducts health education sessions in both affected and unaffected areas to contain the
outbreak
• Conducts community mobilization and other public information activities
Clinician: DNO

• Educates on the case definition and identification of cases

• Advises and gives leadership in managing patients
• Educates, implements and supervises infection control measures
• Advises on area hospital bed capacity and medical capability
• Advises on collection of clinical specimens from cases/ patients

Laboratory scientist

• Perform laboratory diagnosis to help refine/ confirm a case definition and

confirm the outbreak
• Advise and assure proper specimen collection, transportation and storage
• Assess area laboratory capabilities
• Develop a plan for sharing specimens with national or WHO laboratories
Communication specialist (maybe the HPO or other appointed)

• Coordinates and assists in communications with media, international community

and officials
• Develops the main messages for public education
• Liaison with community and other important stakeholders
• Liaises with the health promotions officer to develop the main messages for
public education

Expanded team roles

• Logistician/ Administrator/ Operations Manager
• Manage supplies including the requirements of the RRTs
• Work with security officer
• Monitor finances and allowances for the field workers
• Arrange transportation
• Monitor communications
Interviewers

• Interviews patients, potential cases, doctors

• Collect data, either in person or by phone

Infection control officer

• Oversees use and distribution of PPE, decontamination processes within wards ,or
treatment areas
• Advises health units on proper infection control
• Assists in layout of CTC/CTU, management of hand washing facilities, foot bath,
etc in liaison with the EHO
RRT committee Roles and Responsibilities

• • Hold regular meetings, establish and monitor disease thresholds

•• Review surveillance data trends that causes a concern for public health.
•• Train the nurse in charge and EHTs at all facilities in the district on the protocol for
recommended case management of priority diseases including:cholera.
•• Treatment equipment and supplies
•• Transport and communication
•• Supplies, collecting and transporting specimens for laboratory confirmation
•• Cold chain equipment and supplies for giving vaccines
•• Procedures for ordering and storage of vaccines in emergency
Cont…
•• Creation of a budget line for epidemic preparedness and response
•• Check emergency stocks of drugs and supplies monthly, including the
drugs expiry dates and make sure that all suppliers are in good storage
conditions (dry clean and ready for use) make sure steps for obtaining
laboratory confirmation are known by the appreciate staff
•• Ensure health education and social mobilisation in the risk prone areas
just before the epidemic season.
•• Resource mobilisation
The RRT is expected to:

• Investigate and confirm suspected cases of outbreak/ Rumours

• Verify diagnosis and identify cases using standard case definitions
• Describe the outbreak in terms of person, place and time.
• Report suspected cases to the next level
• Respond and institute initial response and control measures
• Feedback: communicate with the community and other stakeholders that reported rumou
and about the investigation outcome and response efforts, to encourage future co-operations
• Control contingency EPR stocks
THE END
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