Objective To assess the public health impacts and needs, to evaluate performance of anti-epidemic efforts after Lushan earthquake, so as to provide references for the following anti-epidemic work. Methods The day of earthquake occurrence was defined as the first day after earthquake. We collected information and data from the Sichuan Provincial Government, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China, the Health Department of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and then we compared the situations of disaster, public health situation in stricken area, emergency response, resource deployment, etc. with those after Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, in order to evaluate the performance of anti-epidemic response during 2 weeks, clarify current situations and demands, and offer a proposal for the following work. Results Emergency response was conducted immediately after the Lushan earthquake. The counterpart assistance was considered at the beginning of team arrangement. The number and professional structure of rescue participants were planned according to needs. Three days after earthquake, anti-epidemic staff arrived at every involved county, town, and even village, which achieved full rescue coverage of locations and interventions. The staff helped reconstruct disease surveillance system, protect source of drinking water and environmental hygiene, etc., which resulted in progressive achievement. Two weeks after the earthquake there were no outbreak and public health emergency event occurred in stricken area. Conclusion The anti-epidemic efforts after Lushan earthquake inherit and develop the lessons from Wenchuan earthquake in 2008. Emergency response is timely, orderly, scientific, and moderate. The deployment of policies, technologies and resources has already been completed during two weeks. Anti-epidemic efforts achieve preliminary results. We suggest that key issues of further work should be the implementation of policies, strategies and measures, such as health management at relocation sites, water and food hygiene, disease monitoring, prevention and control, mass vaccination, scientific disinfection, and health education, in order to improve long-efficacy mechanism and stabilize work performance.
Objective To summarize the experience of epidemic prevention in order to offer the first-hand data for reconstruction after the earthquake and epidemic control and prevention in the active seismic zone. Method We collected and analyzed the data of epidemic control and prevention and summarized their strengths and weaknesses. Results Of the 13 counties in Aba Prefecture, 12 were affl icted with 2 worst-hit counties and 5 worse-hit disaster areas. A total of 20 233 people were dead and 7 873 people were missing. Health system was severely damaged. Aba Center of Disease Control and Prevention started the contingency plan and sent 4 epidemic prevention teams to the disaster areas. With the combination of local materials and external aids, the epidemic prevention network of county, township and village was established. (1) Environment cleaning and el imination: up to August 27, 2008, 2 591 group times of teams involving 88 298 person times and 5 294 set times of vehicles were allocated. Disinfection area covered 18 181.3 m2 including 14 132 dumps, 33 271 cesspits and 154 391 breeding grounds of mosquitoes, fl ies and mice. (2) Critical supervision for the safety of drinking water and food: up to June 20, 21 central ized and 1 032 dispersed water supply sources were restored. We monitored 829 drinking water samples, among which 594 were qual ified with the qual ified rate of 66.59%. (3) A total of 86 396 people were resettled in 17 temporary sites. (4) Wild dogs were killed in Kala-azar epidemic areas. Mosquitoes, flies and mice were supervised once a week. (5) Disease supervision: A total of 762 cases in 15 legal infectious diseases were found within 90 days after the earthquake, and no death was found. No outbreak of infectious epidemic situations and burst publ ic health events was reported. A total of 57 157 Hepatitis A vaccinations were inoculated in the children aged from 18 months to 12 years old and 16 268 in children aged from 13 to 16 years old, medical staff, mil itary personnel and first-l ine workers. A total of 4 435 Japanese encephal itis vaccinations were inoculated in people in Xiaojin county. On June 15, routine inoculation cl inic recovered and on July 1, expansive inoculation was started on schedule. Conclusion Phased victory is gained in epidemic control and prevention in Aba Prefecture, although it is only a latter-wit. It is suggested that a long-term system of the earthquake disaster as well as human and environmental protection should be reconsidered through the first-hand data of anti-epidemic measures of the Wenchuan earthquake.