Below is a summary of a report concerning the relationship between war and disease occurance. Considering what is presently happening in Thailand, Iraq, Indonesia (Papua Province) and other places where bird flu has occured, I think a discussion is warrented concerning how conflict could possibly affect the containment of a influenza pandemic. To satisfy certain folks, this thread can also be used to post news that has a possible effect upon bird flu containment, but does not directly address the issue of bird flu.
DEADLY CONNECTIONS: THE WAR/DISEASE NEXUS WORKSHOP REPORT
Vancouver, March 22 - 23, 2004 Executive Summary
• The indirect effects of war are profound, underappreciated and preventable;
• Preliminary research suggests that for every battle death, many more people die as a result of disease or other factors connected to the war;
• Humanitarian access is crucial to reducing the number of indirect deaths in conflict zones;
• There is a paucity of data on both the impacts of violent conflict on health and the number of indirect deaths. The data that does exist is, in many cases, so methodologically flawed as to be virtually useless;
• There is a need to set norms and standards for the collection of health data in conflict zones and to establish definitions of key terms such as ‘indirect deaths’;
• In the absence of such definitions and standards, projections and estimates are likely to be inaccurate;
• Major studies on the health impacts of war have been carried out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Iraq. In the case of the DRC, International Rescue Committee surveys showed that the crude mortality rate in the eastern part of the country experienced a 250 per cent increase during the worst of the fighting;
• In many conflict situations, the majority of indirect civilian deaths are caused by three diseases, two of which are reasonably easy to prevent: acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea and malaria;
• It is not enough to establish health facilities in war-effected communities if people do not have the capacity to access such services;
• Participants at the workshop proposed the creation of a new body to compile data on conflict and health. This body could set standards and guidelines and receive and review the data collected by others such as NGOs and universities.
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By the time war breaks out, communications between the opposing forces are such that the opposing forces use whatever is at or in their arsenal to conquer their enemy---including disease, not necessarily causing it of course but if it makes the enemy weaker…so be it.
What is the physiological response soldiers have to even the civilians on the opposing side? Will humanitarian aid be allowed to cross borders to help thine enemy?
It seems to me that in recent years the doctors without borders and humanitarian workers are/have been at very high risk and some organizations have refused to put their HCW’s at risk. At one time just seeing the Red Cross sign was enough to halt fighting at least for brief periods but not so anymore.
War is bad; war with a pandemic around the corner is really bad. H5N1 could break out and none would be the wiser until it reached pandemic proportions.
Now Thailand has done an extremely good job of containing the sick chickens and education of the public considering everything but will the money be put forth into prevention now and the culling of chickens; will it/can it continue?
By the time war breaks out, communications between the opposing forces are such that the opposing forces use whatever is at or in their arsenal to conquer their enemy---including disease, not necessarily causing it of course but if it makes the enemy weaker…so be it.
What is the physiological response soldiers have to even the civilians on the opposing side? Will humanitarian aid be allowed to cross borders to help thine enemy?
It seems to me that in recent years the doctors without borders and humanitarian workers are/have been at very high risk and some organizations have refused to put their HCW’s at risk. At one time just seeing the Red Cross sign was enough to halt fighting at least for brief periods but not so anymore.
War is bad; war with a pandemic around the corner is really bad. H5N1 could break out and none would be the wiser until it reached pandemic proportions.
Now Thailand has done an extremely good job of containing the sick chickens and education of the public considering everything but will the money be put forth into prevention now and the culling of chickens; will it continue?