Tetanus

• More than 7,800 people have been affected by the landslide, including more than 3,300 children.
• This could mean they’ve been displaced from their homes or are lacking access to basic necessities.
• So what are the potential health risks following a landslide?

From injuries to illness

• People may become trapped as the landslide carries buildings, structures and people in an unpredictable manner.
• The Enga landslide happened in the middle of the night, which sadly meant most people could not escape in time.
• Early efforts after a natural disaster almost always focus on minimising casualties and providing essential and immediate medical care.
• Aceh also saw clusters of measles after the tsunami due to overcrowding among displaced populations, combined with patchy vaccination coverage.

Health system weaknesses

• The risk of infectious diseases outbreaks in PNG stems from some underlying weaknesses in the health system, and poorer health outcomes.
• For example, in PNG, it’s estimated that for children under five years old, 41 children die for every 1,000 live births.
• In Australia, this number is ten times lower, at four deaths per 1,000 live births.

Mitigating the risks

• We also know individuals affected by natural disasters can face mental health problems and gender-based violence.
• Beyond providing medical care, local and international agencies are working to offer shelter, clean water and food, and mental health support to affected people.
• For example, in Fiji after cyclone Winston in 2016, a similar surveillance system detected outbreaks of influenza, conjunctivitis and typhoid.

A rough road