Biological Disasters

Biological Disasters

2020-11-10 11:34:41

• Biological Disasters
  • Causes
  • Prevention
  • Challenges
  • Need
• Industrial Disaster
  • Nuclear Hazards

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• Caused by epidemics, accidental release of virulent organism/ Bioterrorism
• Types - Epidemic, Pandemic

Causes

• Poor sanitary conditions, inadequate disposal of animal carcasses, during floods earthquakes, poor solid waste management
• Disseminated by aerosols, animals, flood and water contamination, person to person
• Major sources - water borne diseases, vector borne, person to person transmission, air borne diseases
• Trends - low cost wide spread, efficient payload, advances made production easy, high destructive potential, lethal biological agents can be produced easily

Prevention

• educate masses, consume well-cooked food, control rodents, isolation of confirmed cases, estd network of labs, disease surveillance system, mass immunisation, more focus on research of vaccines

Challenges

• mobilisation of investigational/ therapeutic counters, detection of outbreaks, no plan for prevention, dev vaccines, no standard risk vulnerability assessment, non-availability of risk zonation maps, lack of capability to collect samples, early detection

Need

• replace epidemic act 1897 gives no power to C to intervene in biological emergencies, no operation framework at national level, Command Control Coordination, augment HR, Basic Infra Setup - prompt diagnosis, network of sub centres, PHCs, CHCs,

Industrial Disaster

• Forms are accidental release, explosion causes disaster, Nuclear explosion/ Radiation, Mine Explosion, Pollution, acid rain, chemical pollution, atmosphere pollution
• Prevention Mitigation strategies - Design and Pre modification review - to substitute extremely toxic chemicals, Chemical Risk Assessment, Process safety management, safety audits, emergency planning, training, public coop on road, escorts for dangerous vehicles, awareness, proper storage of hazardous materials, safer alternatives, strict implementation of land use policy
• Challenges : inadequate enforcement, lack of understanding of R&D, no adequate separation of parameters, awareness, preparedness; absence of national regulation, lack harmonisation of classification, absence of regulation of storage, lack of legislation on risk assessment, statutes for grant in compensation not there

Nuclear Hazards

• Naturally from cosmic rays, emission from radioactive materials from crust,
• Man Made sources like nuclear power plants, X Rays, nuclear bombs, accidents, nuke weapons, mining
• Mitigation -
  • Limiting exposure time, inc distance from source, Barriers of lead, concrete etc, Containment
  • Promote flexibility in mgt of emergencies, maintain full time capability, counter against occupational exposure
• Steps by GOI:
  • Do Atomic energy id as nodal agency, international standards, crisis management sys, Mobile Radiation Detection Centre