SUPER CYCLONE SIDR 2007 Impacts and Strategies for ... - nirapad

Ministry of Food and Disaster Management
3.4 Health and Nutrition
Impacts
There is concern of outbreak of water-borne diseases, such as acute diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, typhoid,
hepatitis and communicable diseases like acute respiratory infections and pneumonia because of lack
of safe water supply and sanitation facilities damage. Nonetheless, the current health and medical
needs are relatively low. Although the storm resulted in a loss of electricity in many places, most
hospitals and clinics were able to keep vaccines in cold temperature through the use of generators,
cold boxes and other means. The pre-positioning of essential drugs and medicines including Water
Purification Tablets was a major advantage in terms of preparedness and response.
According to the UN Rapid Initial Assessment, approximately 1.5 million people in the nine surveyed
districts are at risk of communicable diseases — diarrhea, dysentery, acute respiratory infection
and pneumonia. Children aged five years or younger are especially vulnerable. In order to prevent
an outbreak of diarrhea, emergency medical support needs to be continued, in addition to the
provision of drinking water. Some of the hospitals in worst affected upazilas are partially damaged
and are in need of immediate repair, as they are the only source of medical care service to those living
in remote areas.
Some 55,282 people who got injury during the cyclone may cause further deterioration in the health
sector if the do not have proper treatment facilities.
Response
There were buffer medicine stocks available in Barisal, Khulna and Bagerhat headquarters before the
cyclone hit. Medical personnel were dispatched to the area in advance to be ready for early response.
A Pakistan medical team has been treating people with injuries in Bhandaria. The U.S. medical team
at Patuakhali operated a 250 bed hospital. A detailed information about the coordinated responses in
medical support activities is given in Annex -5 (“Who, What, Where” for the Health Coordination).
Figure 3.6: Health care provision in Sidr affected nine districts (out of twelve)
Fifty-six hospitals are located in the worst affected Upazillas (Figure 3.6). Each of these hospitals has
an average capacity of 30 – 50 beds and serves a population of around 250,000. Some of these
hospitals have been damaged. Access to the more peripheral units is blocked momentarily, rendering
serious shortage of medical care. It is estimated that the damages sustained by the hospitals of
Morelgonj, Sharonkhola and Rampal are affecting at least 700,000 people.
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