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The greatest
potential for preventing the adverse effects of natural disasters exists
during the preimpact phase. There are clear parallels between the concept of
preventive medicine and that of disaster mitigation, which is defined as
actions taken to reduce the effects of a disaster before it occurs. Thus,
during the pre-impact phase, disaster epidemiology involves delineating
at-risk populations (vulnerability analysis), assessing the level of
emergency preparedness and the flexibility of the existing surveillance
systems, educating defined populations at risk, and training health and
safety personnel. For example, one cannot prevent an earthquake, however
people can be educated about safety planning in case of an earthquake prior
to the actual event.
The critical component of any disaster response is the early conduct of a
proper damage assessment to identify urgent needs and to determine relief
priorities for an affected population
During the post-impact phase, information is also needed on the
complicated process of long-term rehabilitation and health services
reconstruction. After a disaster, epidemiologic methods can be used to
evaluate the effectiveness of health intervention programs. Following an
earthquake or other natural or man made disaster, epidemiological studies
should be conducted to assess the value of what has been done in the
previous stages.
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