Medicine during Natural Disaster

Nine years ago today, 26th December 2004, the Indian Ocean Tsunami brought serious damage and health disasters to fourteen countries boarding the Indian ocean. Natural disasters such as the Tsunami cause a huge number casualties, but further health issues are generated from starvation, lack of shelter and the quick spread of infectious diseases. It was expected that there would be a huge rise in waterborne diseases, for example cholera and malaria. However the major issue affected the people  swept by the tsunami, which caused high levels of 'tsunami lung.'

Tsunami Lung is caused due to inhalation of mud and polluted water, containing several infecting microbes, it is thought that B. pseudomallei is one which is found within asian soil and water, however it is not certain as no laboratory was available to investigate the culture causing the illness. The symptoms of tsunami lung include bacterial lung infection, similar to pneumonia. Therefore it can treated by a strict course of antibiotics, however due to the lack of preparedness and slow response, the medical infrastructure was overwhelmed and there were lack of antibiotics available. This meant that many 'victims' could not be treated, and further neurological problems were created, leading to problems such as paralysis. These neurological problems are a result of infection spreading into the brain via the blood stream, resulting in abscesses. The brain swells in response to abscesses which can result in pressure on delicate brain tissue, or cutting off blood vessels supplying the brain. This is considered a medical emergency, as high pressure in the brain can be life threatening.

The lack of equipment available needed to diagnose tsunami lung, caused an increase in problems developed. A chest radiograph is required to identify lung infection and further computed tomography scan of the brain to confirm abscesses. The amount of trauma patients means there is a lack of staff and time to examine patients suspected with chest infections, furthermore many of the fourteen landmasses boarding the Indian ocean had little or no access at all to this type of equipment, therefore most was supplied by international relief, such as the US navy hospital ship which was docked off the coast of Banda Aceh, Sumatra. 

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake_and_tsunami 
http://rense.com/general66/tsu.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1310941/
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000783.htm