Health Care

have attached all the links and materials needed to answer questions on the work sheet. In my team we have Environmental Health Specialist, Field Epidemiologist, Paramedic, Public Information Officer, Public Health Nurse

https://www.cnn.com/specials/us/hurricane-harvey
https://rise.articulate.com/share/yyZ9N5aWI7sAS3OZrfqwMEmpSrjUqn0g#/

ANSWER

Week 7: Harvey Mosquito Surveillance Worksheet

After Hurricane Harvey, public health officials were concerned that excess standing water would provide the perfect habitat for mosquito breeding. In such circumstances, mosquito surveillance is often necessary to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases (e.g., West Nile Virus and Zika).  This assignment asks your team to develop and assess a plan for carrying out the surveillance task. Please answer the questions below. (Hint:  Make a copy of this document (File > Make a copy).  When you have completed the worksheet, upload your assignment to Canvas > Assignments > Week 7: Harvey Mosquito Surveillance Assignment as a PDF file.)

1. In 2 to 3 double-spaced pages, describe in detail your team’s plan for carrying out the surveillance task. Please include these items in your plan:
   1. What is your schedule (timeline) for accomplishing your objective within the 2-day window?

After arrival, we have to sit down to develop a plan that will guide us in the surveillance task. We will move around to assess the situation on the ground during the first day while offering the necessary assistance. Since we are required to visit 50 homes, we will subdivide the homes to visit to cover all the areas on the first day. Our primary aim will be examining the potential health risks and threats that affect the local population by acquiring water samples for testing. The large volumes of water pose a threat to the emergence of infectious diseases such as malaria. Thus, the first-day schedule will revolve around identifying these possible threats so that we are better positioned to integrate strategic measures. The collected samples will expose us to the ideal situation on the ground. During the second day, we will test the samples to acquire data that will enable us to take the next step, depending on the outcome.

1. What supplies do you need to bring with you to each of the homes?

Some of the team’s supplies will be expected to carry include clipboards, water-testing kits, foldable bicycles, and rubber gloves. The clipboards will enable us to take notes due to the lack of a writing surface. The foldable bicycle will help move around from one area to the other on water surfaces, while the water-testing kits are useful when taking samples. Lastly, rubber gloves are necessary when collecting samples to avoid contamination.

1. Who on your team is doing what?

The environmental health specialist will educate the residents about the current sanitation threat and potential hazards. This will enable them to understand the expected health effects. The field epidemiologist will inform the residents about actions they can take to avoid adverse health outcomes. The public information officer will offer insights on possible disease outbreaks and emergency health education. The paramedic will offer the necessary help to those in need. For example, they will provide first aid services to affected persons and those trapped in their houses. Lastly, the public health nurse will focus on care and attention for those living with disabilities or injuries in the affected areas to prevent further harm and promote their health amidst the conditions.

1. Describe what a site visit looks like at each home (e.g., interacting with residents, documenting standing water, etc.).

All the homes are surrounded by water, and most of the residents cannot leave their homes. The waters are deep, leaving residents with no choice but to remain indoors. Also, the water is stagnant across all areas and this is a key health threat for the locals because it can harbor diseases such as malaria. Most of them are devastated because they are locked in their houses.

1. What do you leave behind at each of the homes (e.g., some kind of information about mosquito breeding habitat, etc.)?

We ensured that we left viable information in all homes regarding the care and safety mechanisms that they can take. For example, we informed them not to leave their homes, meanwhile, until the water level started lowering. We also told them to observe caution when consuming water because there is a high chance that it might be contaminated. Another measure that we recommended was using mosquito nets just if the water takes a long time to subside, and the area became prone to mosquitoes.

2. How are you going to measure the success of your efforts? (at least 3 to 5 sentences)

We will liaise with local authorities to assess the success level of our efforts. Since we will have already established links with the local authorities, it will be easy to communicate with them and check the progress. The reports provided by various agencies on the ground will enable us to measure our effectiveness.

3. How did you make use of the roles on your team to accomplish your objective? (at least 1 to 2 sentences per role).

We engaged the environmental health specialist to educate the locals about poor sanitation and its health implications. This would enable residents to make autonomous decisions. The field epidemiologist also created awareness of viable steps the affected persons can take for their health and well-being. The public health information officer ensured that he educated them about possible health threats that they faced amidst the current situation. The paramedics offered help where necessary, which helped the team save lives and guarantee better health and well-being. Lastly, the public health nurse also aided in achieving better health and welfare by assisting those living with distinct illnesses and disabilities in the area.

4. What challenges did your team identify when thinking about your plan? (at least 3 to 5 sentences)

One of the challenges that we experienced was the identification of groups that might be in dire need of our services since we had no exposure. We had no clue about the needy groups that we might encounter. Notably, time limitation was a key challenge since we had two days to accomplish everything.

5. Your test results of samples from 5 homes with standing water confirm the West Nile Virus’s presence. Explain how Houston’s healthcare system would be impacted by an outbreak of the West Nile Virus in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. (at least 4 to 6 sentences or more)

The emergence of the West Nile Virus in the Houston region is expected to exhaust the healthcare system and accelerate increased social costs. The area is already experiencing huge costs due to the care and attention services provided to victims of the Hurricane Harvey. The virus is expected to affect many people leading to increased social costs and exhaustion of the available healthcare services.