One-year follow-up study of post-traumatic stress disorder among adolescents following the Wen-Chuan earthquake in China.
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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common psychological disorder among victims of natural disasters. PTSD prevalence and risk factors among adolescents remain unidentified among victims of the Wen-Chuan earthquake. This study screened survivors to determine the prevalence of PTSD and examined risk factors for PTSD among adolescents at three Wen-Chuan secondary schools. PTSD screening was done using the PTSD Checklist-Civilian version (PCL-C). A generalized estimating equation approach was used to control for repeated measurements in the same individuals and to predict risk factors for PTSD. The study included 1,474 students in grades 7, 8, 10 and 11 from three Wen-Chuan secondary schools at 4, 6, 9, and 12 months after the earthquake. The average age of students was 15.0 (13.0, 16.0) both at the first and the second time point, and 16.0 (14.0, 17.0) at the third and the fourth time point. The screened prevalence of PTSD was 11.2%, 8.8%, 6.8% and 5.7% at 4, 6, 9, and 12 months after the earthquake, respectively. Risk factors for PTSD were: time duration, school location (the proximity of epicenter), grade, nationality, parent injury, and severe property damage. In conclusion, PTSD risk factors are in accordance with previous studies; however, the role of nationality and time duration in post-traumatic stress disorder merits further research. (+info)
The neurological outcome of spinal cord injured victims of the Bam earthquake, Kerman, Iran.
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Launching a National Surveillance System after an earthquake --- Haiti, 2010.
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On January 12, 2010, Haiti experienced a magnitude-7.0 earthquake; Haitian government officials estimated that 230,000 persons died and 300,000 were injured. At the time, Haiti had no system capable of providing timely surveillance on a wide range of health conditions. Within 2 weeks, Haiti's Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), CDC, and other national and international agencies launched the National Sentinel Site Surveillance (NSSS) System. The objectives were to monitor disease trends, detect outbreaks, and characterize the affected population to target relief efforts. Fifty-one hospital and clinic surveillance sites affiliated with the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) were selected to report daily counts by e-mail or telephone for 25 specified reportable conditions. During January 25-April 24, 2010, a total of 42,361 persons had a reportable condition; of these, 54.5% were female, and 32.6% were aged <5 years. Nationally, the three most frequently reported specified conditions were acute respiratory infection (ARI) (16.3%), suspected malaria (10.3%), and fever of unknown cause (10.0%). Injuries accounted for 12.0% of reported conditions. No epidemics or disease clusters were detected. The number of reports decreased over time. NSSS is ongoing and currently transitioning into becoming a long-term national surveillance system for Haiti. NSSS data could assist decision makers in allocation of resources and identifying effective public health interventions. However, data reporting and quality could be improved by additional surveillance education for health-care providers, laboratory confirmation of cases of disease, and Internet-based weekly reporting. (+info)
Rapid establishment of an internally displaced persons disease surveillance system after an earthquake --- Haiti, 2010.
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On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti disrupted infrastructure and displaced approximately 2 million persons, causing increased risk for communicable diseases from overcrowding and poor living conditions. Hundreds of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) established health-care clinics in camps of internally displaced persons (IDPs). To monitor conditions of outbreak potential identified at NGO camp clinics, on February 18, the Haiti Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), and CDC implemented the IDP Surveillance System (IDPSS). The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) "cluster approach" was used to coordinate the Haiti humanitarian response. One of 11 clusters, the Global Health Cluster (GHC), builds global capacity, whereas the country-level cluster (in this case, the Haitian Health Cluster [HHC], led by PAHO) responds locally. During the Haiti response, HHC engaged NGOs serving large camps, established IDPSS, followed trends of reportable conditions, undertook epidemiologic and laboratory investigations, and fostered implementation of control measures. This report describes the design and implementation of IDPSS in the post-earthquake period. The primary challenges to implementing IDPSS were communication difficulties with an ever-changing group of NGO partners and limitations to the utility of IDPSS data because of lack of reliable camp population denominator estimates. The IDPSS experience reinforces the need to improve local communication and coordination strategies. Improving future humanitarian response requires advance development and distribution of easily adaptable standard surveillance tools, development of an interdisciplinary strategy for an early and reliable population census, and development of communication strategies using locally available Internet and cellular networks. (+info)
When the earth trembles in the Americas: the experience of Haiti and Chile 2010.
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