Resources: humanitarian

Communicable Disease Control in Emergencies: A Field Manual

Connolly, M.A, 2005, Communicable Disease Control in Emergencies: A Field Manual, published by WHO

Communicable diseases are a major cause of mortality in emergency situations (that is, situations in which people are in need of urgent humanitarian relief) because generally in such circumstances health services collapse, access to health care is very limited, malnutrition is widespread, supplies are interrupted and coordination among agencies providing health care and other assistance is often lacking. This manual is the result of collaboration between the WHO and partner organizations and sets standards for communicable disease control during emergencies, providing very practical advice and logistical information.

This guide deals with the fundamental principles of communicable disease control in emergency situations, dividing the required actions into five steps. Firstly, ideally within one week from the beginning of the emergency, a rapid assessment should be conducted to identify communicable disease threats and define the overall health status of the population. Then, during the prevention phase measures should be taken to maintain a healthy physical environment and good living conditions for the population. Early warning mechanisms should be in place during the surveillance phase, to ensure early reporting of cases, to monitor disease trends and to facilitate prompt detection and responses to outbreaks. During the outbreak control phase, experts must ensure that outbreaks are rapidly detected and controlled and finally, during the disease management phase, cases are diagnosed and treated promptly.

As well as providing advice and suggestions on how to undertake these activities, the manual presents examples of tools to gather required information, such as health surveys to assess the level of risk and the current health situation in the affected populations.

© 2009 People and Development.