Health Risks Rampart After Katrina

Health Risks Rampant After Katrina

Last Updated ( Sunday, 04 September 2005 )
http://www.pinoynurse.org/

CBS) As they rushed medical equipment and experts to the Gulf Coast, federal officials warned on Friday that the public health consequences of Hurricane Katrina were likely to be enormous and long term.

Officials said they were particularly worried about outbreaks of disease spread through sewage contamination of drinking water, spoiled food, insects and bites from snakes and other animals.

Scores of people have already died by drowning or other causes, two by carbon monoxide poisoning from the use of gas-powered generators in poorly ventilated areas. An additional nine people are being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning, federal health officials said at a news conference in Atlanta, home of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rescue workers searched for the injured and disabled in an effort to prevent additional fatalities and, trying to head off outbreaks of diarrhea, used helicopters to deliver food and safe drinking water.

At a news conference in Atlanta, Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said "we're racing the clock" to find stranded people, digging trapped victims out of collapsed concrete and metal, and providing food and water.

In New Orleans, Tulane University Hospital & Clinic, which was surrounded by about four feet of water, lost both of its backup generators to the flooding and began evacuating all its 200 patients, 30 requiring critical care.

HCA, which manages the hospital, hired 20 helicopters to land in succession on its helipad atop a parking garage and ferry the patients to Women's and Children's Hospital in Lafayette, La., and elsewhere. In addition to the patients, more than 800 others were stranded at the Tulane hospital and also required evacuation — members of the staff as well as their families, families of patients and people who had simply sought shelter there.

The hospital had only portable generators remaining, which provided just enough power to run a small amount of equipment. Among the tasks was to light the helipad in the darkness last night. Because elevators were inoperable, members of the staff were carrying patients up the stairs.

Karen Troyer-Caraway, a vice president of the hospital, said by telephone at 8:20 p.m., New Orleans time, that "we are in absolute, complete darkness," with only flashlights to guide those still there.

Michael O. Leavitt, secretary of Health and Human Services, said his department was working to open up 1,000 hospital beds on an emergency basis in the Gulf Coast region.

The disease control centers has sent basic supplies such as first-aid and suture kits, sterile gloves, bandages, blankets and portable oxygen tanks from the national stockpile.

In addition, the Public Health Service has deployed 38 doctors and nurses and has an additional 217 on stand-by.

Experts warned that a major challenge would be to coordinate efforts by government and private organizations and the many health care workers who might voluntarily go to the region.

But all the energy being expended in the initial phase of flood relief is likely to be dwarfed by what lies ahead.

"This is going to be a long-term event," said Dr. Thomas H. Sinks Jr., an epidemiologist at the CDC.

The affected area is "a couple of hundred miles wide, four to five times the geographic extent of Hurricane Andrew in 1992," Sinks said.

Wherever rescue efforts take place, there will be concerns about injuries from falls, broken glass, downed wires and other hazards, said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University.

Other worries will focus on bites from poisonous snakes like the cottonmouth, an excellent swimmer. Alligators could also be a menace, as could raccoons, which are capable of spreading rabies and leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that can lead to meningitis, kidney damage and liver failure.

Health workers will also have to deal with the long-term mental health problems that develop among the hurricane's survivors.

Dr. Irwin Redlener, who directs the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Columbia School of Public Health, said yet another concern was that people might have lost or become separated from the drugs they rely on daily for diabetes, heart disease and other chronic ailments. Pharmacies in the affected areas may have insufficient stocks of vital drugs like insulin for diabetics, a circumstance creating a need to import and distribute essential medicines in the area. The shortage could go on for months, Dr. Redlener said.

The poorest areas are expected to be hit hardest. Experience has shown, Redlener said, that "the more underserved and more economically fragile a community is pre-disaster, the more we expect to see severe consequences after a disaster."
We've all seen the horrible pictures of the devastation — towns completely under water with no public services to speak of. And as the flood waters start to recede, people are going to be very tempted to go back to what's left of their homes to start cleaning up and retrieving the personal effects that may have been spared.

Dr. Sean Kenniff, of our CBS station in Miami, advises that this is really only something that should be done with the OK from local officials. If you try to go at it alone, you risk not only serious injury and disease but death because many of these structures are no longer sound.

Kenniff offers advice on how to clean up safely after a natural disaster.

Reentering Buildings Safely:

# If you do decide to return home, you should never go at night. You want to be able to see everything in front of you. There will very likely be broken glass and sharp objects on the floor that could injure you.
# Before going inside, make sure all the power is off. You don't want to get electrocuted.
# If you hear any shifting sounds, get out immediately. Many of these homes are badly damaged and could easily collapse.
# If you smell gas, get out right away.
# Don't bring children or pets.

There are many other health concerns to be aware of:

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning:

Even if you are allowed back into your home, there is a good chance you still won't have any electricity. If you have a generator or charcoal burning devices, be sure you never use them inside because you put yourself at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas that can make you sick or even kill you. Symptoms include headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and fatigue. So if you are in your home and begin to feel any of these symptoms, get out.

West Nile Virus:

It's very hot in the Gulf region and it's an area where there are lots of
mosquitoes which can carry West Nile Virus. With West Nile Virus, there aren't always symptoms. Some people, however, do get fevers, headaches, bloating or skin rash. So, if you find yourself outside, be sure to wear insect repellent that contains DEET.

The hospitals in the hurricane region are swamped as it is and really can't take on any more people, so it's up to you to protect yourself.

Cholera:

Cholera is a disease that's associated with the Third World, but people in the hurricane zone may be at risk. Cholera is a very serious diarrheal illness that is caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

A person can get cholera from drinking water or eating food that contains the bacteria. The infection is often times mild or without symptoms, but sometimes it can be severe. It can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water — which is the case in the hurricane zone.

Typhoid:

Just like cholera, typhoid is not a disease we associate with the United States. It is a bacterial infection and major symptoms may include unusually high fever, headache, loss of appetite, fatigue, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

The main way you get typhoid is if you eat food or drink beverages that have been handled by a person who is shedding S. Typhi or if sewage contaminated with S. Typhi bacteria gets into the water used for drinking or washing food.

Last Updated ( Sunday, 04 September 2005 )

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Smacko,

Hey, I've been sick all week that I can't work when I'm at work, can't work, can't think of nothing else! I can only rush home to the news...I lived there until 98 and there is "no place like NOLA", very fond memories..very hard to watch this stuff knowing what the true purpose is and not surprised by the lack of timely response given that it was by design and deliberate to maximize the suffering, pain, and death of those who were were either too poor, old, or infermed to leave before Katrina hit, in short, all the people who meet the criterion of being "useless eaters". Quite obviously, Condi, who's homestate is MS, was on vacation, Bush was on vacation in Tx, and where is Dick Cheney? He's been in Wyoming..made sure they weren't be around, huh? and those snipers in NO..were plants, I'm sure, so people could not board the bus's or people couldn't leave Charityhospital either. It's all so obvious when you truly know what's going on...many of us watch the boards quietly until something strikes home...period.
BTW, this was the biggest testing ground there is, for any disaster here in this country...and guess what? like Hurricaine Andrew, you can't count on the gov, but nobody knew that then...only unless you read up on the net. They did the same crap. Same exact crap! thought it was pretty clever tho with weather control how they "missed the French Quarter"..they must want to go back there!

> HOSPITALS HAVE NO POWER. THE DEATH COUNT RISES EVERY MINUTE. THIS IS NOT A 3RD WORLD COUNTRY, THIS IS THE UNITED STATES. THERE ARE SO MANY PPL WHO READ THIS BULLETIN AND THINK NOTHING OF IT. THEY JUST BRUSH IT OFF LIKE NOTHING HAPPEN ALL. LOOK AT THESE PEOPLE, AMERICA! THEY ARE YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY... IT COULD HAVE BEEN ANYONE... WOULDN'T YOU WANT HELP IF IT WERE YOU??? PLEASE REPOST... *SIGH*
Shiree1000@aol.com