1.c. Natural hazards can influence the outbreak and spread of disease

Question 1

Case study- River flooding in Bangladesh 2007- key information

Answer 1

• August 2007- heavy monsoon rainfall caused river floods
• 60% of country inundated and 9 million people living in the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta were displaced from their homes
• exposure to flooding is a recurring hazard in the delta
• the three major rivers and seasonal melting of glaciers pose a continual threat to the population of the low lying delta

Question 2

Case study- River flooding in Bangladesh 2007- what environmental factors affected the spread of disease

Answer 2

• water borne pathogens and diseases increase during flooding years- account for 1/4 of deaths in Bangladesh
• flooding impacts water supply and sanitation, increasing the diffusion of infectious diseases
• climate change linkely to result in more extra flooding- powerful cyclones, rapid melting of ice and snow in the Himalayas and rising sea levels

Question 3

Case study- River flooding in Bangladesh 2007- impacts of the disease on the resident population

Answer 3

• led to epidemics of diarrhoea, typhoid and hepatitis
• this was the result of floodwater bacteria contaminating flood and water sources
• the diffusion of these diseases was exacerbated by several environmental issues such as high humidity and people’s proximity to aquatic environments

Question 4

Case study- River flooding in Bangladesh 2007- socio economic factors that aided disease transmission

Answer 4

• high rural population densities- in many distics exceeded 1000 persons per km squared
• high levels of poverty- over 40% of Bangladeshis survive on less than $1.25
• lack of access to adequate sanitation
• 1 in 8 wells contaminated by bacterial pathogens

Question 5

Case study- River flooding in Bangladesh 2007- impact of the disease on the resident population

Answer 5

impact of floods on the health of the population was considerable

• estimated 70,000 people hit by the diarrhoel epidemic and suffered acute dehydration
• over 100,000 hospital admissions
• around 800 drowneed and many killed by infection

Question 6

Case study- River flooding in Bangladesh 2007- was emergency provided?

Answer 6

YES- the Bangladesh government and international agencies provided emergency