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| October 13, 2005 | Thursday | Ramzan 8, 1426 |
Doctor discounts epidemic threat to volunteers
KARACHI, Oct 12: Health organizations and doctors have said there is no reason volunteers working in calamity-hit areas should be hesitant to be close to decomposing bodies for fear of contracting diseases.
They have pointed out that when doctors talk about a possible outbreak of epidemics, it does not mean that the decomposing bodies of those who perished in the Oct 8 earthquake would be the cause of such diseases. According to the World Health Organization(WHO), many myths about disaster situations have lately gained ground.
“For instance, people think that dead bodies pose a health risk and cadavers are responsible for epidemics after natural disasters. The fact is that contrary to popular belief, dead bodies pose no more risk of disease outbreak in the aftermath of a natural disaster than survivors,” confirms the WHO website.
It adds that another myth is that epidemics and plagues are inevitable after every disaster. “The reality is that epidemics do not spontaneously occur after a disaster and dead bodies will not lead to catastrophic outbreaks of exotic diseases. The key to preventing disease is to improve sanitary conditions and educate the public,” says the website.
Dr Najam-ul-Hasan of the Ziauddin Medical University said that for the most part victims of calamities and disasters like the October 8 earthquake, died a natural death. “They did not die of any disease. So, their bodies do not contain viruses of diseases and infections. And even if they did, the process of transmission of disease from a living person’s body is known and understandable. But there is very little likelihood of a disease being transferred from the body of a dead person to a living volunteer,” he explained.
“When doctors say that natural disasters are often followed by an outbreak of an epidemic, they do not mean that these epidemics are caused by decomposing bodies of victims,” he said.
According to the British Medical Journal, fears about the dangers that dead bodies pose to the survivors of natural disasters are mistaken.
It quotes Dr Jean-Luc Poncelet of the Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief Programme of the Pan American Health Organization as saying that people are reacting to the misguided fear that bodies will spread diseases.
“This misperception is very common, and the same reaction has occurred in many other countries around the world,” he says. According to the British Medical Journal, his comments follow publication of a study that reviewed what dangers dead bodies pose to survivors of natural disasters.
“However, people who are in close contact with the dead — such as military personnel, rescue workers, volunteers and others — may be exposed to chronic infectious hazards, including hepatitis B and C viruses, HIV, enteric pathogens and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Suitable precautions for these people include training, use of body bags and disposable gloves, good hygiene practice and vaccination for hepatitis B and tuberculosis,” says the British Medical Journal.
Dr Hasan said that in natural disasters people mostly died from trauma and injuries. He added that they were unlikely to have acute or epidemic-causing infections. He said that the risk dead bodies posed for the public, especially for volunteers and rescue workers, was minimal.
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