Public Health Humanitarian Responses to Natural Disasters

With the pressure of climate change, environmental degradation, and urbanisation as well as the widening of socioeconomic disparities, the global population is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the impact of natural disasters. With a primary focus on humanitarian response to disasters across Asia, Public Health Principles in Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response provides a critical analysis of public health responses to natural disasters. Using a number of case studies and examples of innovative disaster response measures developed by international agencies, this book illustrates how theoretical understanding of public health issues can be practically applied in the context of humanitarian relief response. Starting with an introduction to public health principles within the context of medical and public health disaster and humanitarian response, the book goes on to explore key trends, threats and challenges in contemporary disaster medical response. This introductory textbook provides a comprehensive overview of an emergent discipline and offers a unique multidisciplinary perspective across a range of relevant topics including the concepts of disaster preparedness and resilience, and key challenges in human health needs for 21st Century. This book will be of interest to students of public health, disaster and emergency medicine and development studies, as well as to development and medical practitioners working within NGOs, development agencies, health authorities and public administration.

Emily Ying Yang Chan is a professor and assistant dean at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Faculty of Medicine and visiting professor of public health medicine at the Oxford University Nuffield Department of Medicine. She is also associate director at CUHK JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, centre director at Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response (CCOUC), director at CUHK Centre for Global Health, visiting scholar at the Harvard University FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, senior fellow at Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, fellow at Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, member of The Asia Science Technology and Academia Advisory Group of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR ASTAAG) and co-chairperson of World Health Organization Thematic Platform for Health Emergency & Disaster Risk Management Research Group.

Introduction 1. Key public health concepts of disaster preparedness and response 2. Disaster concepts and trends 3. General public health impacts of natural disasters 4. The specific human health impacts of natural disasters 5. When public health and disaster collide: responding to health needs in natural disasters 6. Current and likely medical and public health threats and challenges for disaster response in the twenty-first century 7. Resources for disaster response and beyond 8. From public health emergency preparedness to resilience 9. Conclusion