When a natural disaster strikes, there are various health concerns that follow the immediate rescue of the affected individuals. These concerns include medical care, food, water, as well as shelter. The approach towards these health concerns shows that health is a multidisciplinary field, because of the involvement of practitioners from different fields in the support of the affected communities ( Who.int, 2012). The health impact that followed the Japan tsunami of 2011 caused general environmental and public health concerns.
Environmental Health Concerns
Natural disasters such as the Japan tsunami of 2011 bring about various environmental health concerns to the affected individuals. The impact in this particular disaster involved floodwaters, gas leaks, oil spills, and downed power lines among others. The destroyed structures also increased the impact of the hazardous conditions, hence increasing the risk of loss of life and property (Patimes.org, 2012). These environmental concerns expose people to the risk of electrocution, explosions, as well as spark fires .
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Public Health Concerns
The impact of the Japan tsunami on the general public health is evident based on the shortage of water and food supply to the affected areas and their surroundings. Other public health concerns were brought about by the qualms of radioactive contamination in the dairy products, water and the fresh vegetables. In addition to that, contamination of the floodwaters with dirt, oil, bio-hazardous waste, and bacteria was a concern for the public health ( Patimes.org, 2012).
Conclusion
These health concerns require a swift and effective response by public health and environmental health practitioners. For the environmental health concerns, the practitioners would need to raise awareness of the hazards presented here to ensure that people in the affected areas take the requisite safety precautions. For the public health concerns, awareness would also be important to ensure that the public does not consume contaminated food or water. In addition to that, the practitioners would follow the government protocol and policies to handle and treat the food and water ( Patimes.org, 2012).
References
Patimes.org. (2012). Public Health Concerns in the Aftermath of the Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami and the Fukushima Reactor Breach . Retrieved on 6 September 2019, from https://patimes.org/public-health-concerns-in-the-aftermath-of-the-japanese-earthquake-tsunami-and-the-fukushima-reactor-breach/
Who.int. (2012). FAQs: Japan tsunami concerns . Retrieved on 6 September 2019, from https://www.who.int/hac/crises/jpn/faqs_tsunami/en/
