Editorial
A Disaster Myth That Just Won’t Die
Mass burials and the dignity of disaster victims

It was South Asia’s worst natural disaster in memory—the earthquake and tidal wave that claimed more than 250,000 lives in a dozen countries last December. But as the death toll climbed in the days following the disaster, media reports warned that a second calamity was in the making: dangerous disease outbreaks caused by the legions of rotting bodies. (More)

What do readers think about PAHO’s publications?

At the end of 2004, PAHO conducted a study on the impact of its publications and training materials in four Spanish-speaking countries—Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras and Costa Rica—to gauge who our users are, their interests and expectations and especially, their level of satisfaction. (More)

Earthquake and Tsunami Devastate South Asia

Major earthquakes off the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia produced a devastating tsunami in late December that affected 12 countries in south Asia and as far away as Africa. Hardest hit were Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and Thailand. (More)

World Conference on Disaster Reduction

When the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction opened in Kobe, Japan, almost 10 years to the day on which a devastating 1995 earthquake killed more than 6,000 in that city, the painful memory of the south Asian tsunami that occurred just three weeks earlier was still fresh on everyone’s mind. (More)

CRID publishes new “minikit”

The Regional Disaster Information Center (CRID) continues adding “minikits” to its series of information packets on disasters. The latest addition is volcanic eruptions. Included is an explanation of the different phases and hazards associated with this type of disaster. (More)

Floods in Guyana

By mid-January, 27 inches of rain had already fallen in Guyana (normal rainfall for this period is 7 inches). This caused considerable flooding along the coastal regions which are the most densely populated areas of the country. At least 192,000 people in and around Georgetown, East Coast, East Bank and West Demerara have been affected. (More)

Virtual Information on Health Emergencies and Disasters for South America

Peru’s national disaster program in the Ministry of Health, with the support of PAHO and the Regional Disaster Information Center (CRID), has created its first Virtual Disaster Library, focusing on disasters in South America. (More)

Safe Hospitals—A Collective Responsibility, A Global Measure of Disaster Reduction

Protecting critical health facilities, particularly hospitals, from the avoidable consequences of disasters, is not only essential to meeting the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations, but also a social and political necessity in its own right. This is the message that Safe Hospitals—A Collective Responsibility, A Global Measure of Disaster Reduction, prepared by PAHO/WHO for the UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction, puts forth. (More)

EDAN in the Health Sector Expanded to Include Assessment Forms

Several months ago, PAHO/WHO published a new manual on Health Damage and Needs Assessment for Disaster Situations to assist health workers to conduct field evaluations in the aftermath of natural disasters. (More)

New Materials Improve the Hospital Disaster Planning Course

In 2003, PAHO published a training module to support the organization of hospital disaster planning workshops. Suggestions and comments on how to improve the content were gathered from the participants at many of these workshops. (More)

Selected Bibliography

The articles listed in this section may be of interest to health professionals and others responsible for disaster preparedness, mitigation and relief. (More)