About the Book
Natural and man-made disasters--earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, industrial crises, and many others--have claimed more than 3 million lives during the past 20 years, adversely affected the lives of at least 800 million people, and caused more than 50 billion dollars in property damages. A major disaster occurs almost daily in some part of the world. Increasing population densities in flood plains, along vulnerable coastal areas, and near dangerous faults in
the earth's crust, as well as the rapid industrialization of developing economies are factors likely to make the threat posed by natural disasters much bigger in the future. Illustrated
with examples from recent research in the field, this book summarizes the most pertinent and useful information about the public health impact of natural and man-made disasters. It is divided into four sections dealing with general concerns, geophysical events, weather-related problems, and human-generated disasters. The author starts with a comprehensive discussion of the concepts and role of surveillance and epidemiology, highlighting general environmental health concerns, such as sanitation,
water, shelter, and sewage. The other chapters, based on a variety of experiences and literature drawn from both developing and industrialized countries, cover discrete types of natural and
technological hazards, addressing their history, origin, nature, observation, and control. Throughout the book the focus is on the level of epidemiologic knowledge on each aspect of natural and man-made disasters. Exposure-, disease-, and health-event surveillance are stressed because of the importance of objective data to disaster epidemiology. In addition, Noji pays particular attention to prevention and control measures, and provides practical recommendations in areas in which the
public health practitioner needs more useful information. He advocates stronger epidemiologic awareness as the basis for better understanding and control of disasters. A comprehensive theoretical and
practical treatment of the subject, The Public Health Consequences of Disasters is an invaluable tool for epidemiologists, disaster relief specialists, and physicians who treat disaster victims.
Table of Contents:
I. General Issues
IntroductionEric K. Noji:
1: Eric K. Noji: The Nature of Disasters
2: Eric K. Noji: The Use of Epidemiologic Methods in Disasters
3: Scott Weatherall and Eric K. Noji: Surveillance and Epidemiology
4: Scott R. Lillibridge: Managing the Environmental Health Aspects of Disasters: Water, Human Excreta and Shelter
5: Michael J. Toole: Communicable Diseases and Disease Control after Disasters
6: Ellen Gerrity and Brian W. Flynn: Mental Health Consequences of Disasters
7: R. Elliott Churchill: Effective Media Relations
II. Geophysical Events
8: Eric K. Noji: Earthquakes
9: Peter Baxter: Volcanoes
III. Weather-Related Problems
10: Josephine Malilay: Tropical Cyclones
11: Scott R. Lillibridge: Tornadoes
12: Edwin Kilbourne: Heat Waves and Hot Environments
13: Edwin Kilbourne: Cold Environments
14: Josephine Malilay: Floods
IV. Human-Generated Problems
15: Ray Yip: Famine
16: Ruth Etzel and Jean G. French: Air Pollution
17: Scott R. Lillibridge: Industrial Disasters
18: Lee M. Sanderson: Fires
19: Robert C. Whitcomb and Michael Sage: Nuclear-Reactor Incidents
20: Michael J. Toole: Complex Emergencies
About the Author :
Eric K. Noji, M.D., M.P.H., is Chief of the International Emergency and Refugee Health Unit at the Centers for Disease Control's International Health Program Office. He also serves as Director of the Center for Disease Control's World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
Review :
"The disaster information provided in this text is broad-based, comprehensive, and current, but equally important is the presentation format. In only 440 pages of text, Noji et al. have reviewed the significant elements of disaster-related issues, provided a behavioral profile on each, listed pro-active prevention and control measures, and, based on specific disaster knowledge gaps, enumerated detailed research recommendations. In my opinion, this book would
become a well-worn volume in the library of all those involved in disaster work."--International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters
"The Public Health Consequences of Disasters is a significant update to the 1989 monograph by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)....An outstanding desk reference...It is a fascinating book, which will serve as an authoritative source of information for many years to come."--Journal of the American Medical Association
"One needs only read the first chapter of The Public Health Consequences of Disasters to understand how devastating disasters can really be...a reality check that is long overdue.... A much-needed catalogue of areas that require further investigation...outstanding job....The text is easy reading and seeks to present not only useful public-health issues, but also an overview of general disaster management, so that the reader has an understanding of the
critical link between these two areas. Noji has magnificently compiled a most useful text that should be required reading for students of public-health and emergency and disaster managers alike."--Lancet
"Presents succinctly the public health impact of all major disasters...The editor and the authors of the book are experienced experts in the field of disaster mitigation and response...State-of-the-art description of the issues...Very useful and practical information for students and managers of disaster situations....This book will become the standard text for students of disasters in epidemiology and public health. It is comprehensive, well organized, and
informative, and it fills an important gap in the available literature on the subject. It is to be recommended as a textbook for courses on disasters and as a standard reference for personal or
institutional libraries."--American Journal of Epidemiology
"Finely written and edited text...offers a significant contribution to the field of disaster management....Noji's book offers much to those in public health, disaster-relief professionals, and physicians. Its strengths lie in the argument for the gathering of objective data to build a knowledge base...I would strongly recommend Eric Noji's book to all who work in this challenging and often overwhelming field."--Harvey W. Weinstein, MD, American Journal of
Preventive Medicine
The Public Health Consequences Of Disasters is the definitive review of technical knowledge about health risks by type of emergency, with chapters on cyclones, earthquakes, floods, famine, industrial disasters, nuclear accidents, and complex emergencies, as wellas epidemiologic techniques,surveillance , disease control,mental health and media relations.IUMANITARIAN TIMESR
"This is an interesting compilation of public health aspects of important disaster phenomena....The book serves a unique niche and should appeal to diverse audiences."--Doody's Health Sciences Review Journal
"This book can be recommended to academic intensivists who want to gain a deeper comprehension of epidemiology, geophysical and weather-related events, as well as human-generated disasters."--Critical Care Medicine
