Beyond pandemics

Material Information

Title:
Beyond pandemics a whole of society approach to disaster preparedness
Creator:
Cindy Arciaga ( editor )
Cindi Cisek ( editor )
Eileen Hanlon ( editor )
Michael Mosselmans ( editor )
Ronald Waldman ( editor )
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Publisher:
Towards a safer world
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2011
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Epidemics ( lcshac )
Public health ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )

Notes

Summary:
This document summarizes 11 thematic reports, looking at achievements and lessons learned from recent pandemic preparedness efforts. It outlines the human, economic, and societal benefits of increasing collaboration, planning, and dialogue across the whole of society, specifically demonstrating how relationships with non-traditional partners in public health can help advance broader disaster preparedness objectives. The experience of two major influenza pandemics in the last six years, the H5N1 in South East Asia in 2004 and the H1N1 of 2009 in North America, led to the realization that if health systems failed to cope with all the consequences of a pandemic, other vital functions and services might also become paralyzed. A multi-sector or “whole-of-society” approach to preparedness for pandemic diseases and other types of disasters engages a variety of stakeholders in preparedness planning processes, thus containing the potential impact of disease or disaster. Preparedness requires coordination, integrated planning, and the management of complex relationships across sectors and between international, national, and local actors. Civil-military coordination is a major component of disaster response discussed in the document, particularly the military’s comparative advantage in humanitarian and disaster response. It also discusses the importance of community-based preparedness using case studies from Vietnam and Bolivia. In another section, the evolution of private sector efforts to incorporate pandemic preparedness is described, with particular attention paid to the unprecedented resources invested by the private sector following the recent threats and best practices in public-private sector coordination. Comprehensive risk communication plans encompassing both preparedness and response strategies are also highlighted. The document recognizes the supply chain and logistics sector as one of the most significant and complex aspects of disaster response which remains critically vulnerable to the impacts of severe global pandemics, and discusses ways to reduce this vulnerability. By adopting a whole-of-society approach to preparedness and following the lead of international authorities in the public health sector, societies can become better prepared for large-scale emergencies whose scope cannot be foreseen presently. Inter-regional exchanges of information and experiences are particularly valuable vehicles to motivating and supporting the advancement of preparedness activities at regional as well as national levels. ( English )
Subject:
Disaster Preparedness ( English )
Citation/Reference:
Arciaga, C., Cisek, C., Hanlon, E., Mosselmans, M., Waldman, R. (ed). (2011). Beyond pandemics: a whole of society approach to disaster preparedness. United States Agency for International Development (USAID), PREVENT Project, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.

dpSobek Membership

Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction