After a disaster, the displacement of people and the damage to infrastructure can lead to a collapse of public health systems. Overcrowded temporary shelters, contaminated water supplies, and a lack of proper waste disposal create ideal conditions for infectious diseases to spread rapidly. By focusing on:
Medical care: Treating injuries and illnesses, and providing vaccinations.
Sanitation: Ensuring access to clean water, managing waste, and promoting hygiene.
Disaster management authorities can effectively contain outbreaks of diseases like cholera, typhoid, and dysentery, which often pose a greater threat to life in the long run than the initial disaster itself.
