Epidemiology and Policy (Hurricanes)
After reading the narrated lecture, text chapter and the AR6 IPCC Report (2021), discuss the effect of environmental disasters on human health and the spread of disease. Explore a recent (within the last 5 years) example of a major environmental disaster to support your argument. II Identify at least 2 mitigating actions you could take as an individual and/or an advanced practice nurse. In addition to the AR6 Report, include at least 1 additional reference (complete citation).
Sample Paper
Epidemiology and Policy (Hurricanes)
Effect of Environmental Disasters on Human Health
Environmental disasters pose threats to human health. The disasters can affect humans socially or physically or even both. For example, they can cause pollution or even destroy settlements (Shahid et al., 2020). Lack of good housing or pollution can affect human health by causing cause heart diseases, increased cancer threat, and asthma, among other ailments. The effects on human health increase the probability of increasing injuries and deaths.
Spread of Disease
Environmental disasters contribute to the spread of diseases through intensifying synergic risk elements that inhibit disease transmission to the body. The ecological catastrophe spreads heart disease through the ecological toxins and alterations of a CVD risk in an inherently steady population. Environmental disasters can spread cancer through exposure to some chemicals in the environment.
A Major Environment Disaster
A major environmental disaster that posed risk to human health was the three recent hurricanes of Zeta, Laura, and Delta in the US. The three hurricanes occurred in 2020, respectively (Over et al., 2020). The hurricanes caused environmental effects especially on dumping sites, cause pollution and chemical / oil spills. Most of the illnesses associated with hurricanes affect people within the six months of the hurricane occurrence. However, chronic diseases compared to other conditions continue developing even after a year of hurricane occurrence.
Mitigations for Hurricanes Disaster
Since hurricanes pose a disaster risk on human health, nurse practitioners should scheme a strategy to mitigate the storms. Nurse practitioners should be prepared efficiently to deal with the impacts of the hurricane’s disaster. The preparation is done through training and educating the nurses on the essential aid functions. The second mitigation strategy for nurses is increasing a disaster response scheme. Nurses should make the response plan before the occurrence of the hurricanes risk. This would be a way of preparing on how to deal with disasters in case they occur.
