Dispelling disaster myths about dead bodies and disease: The role of scientific evidence and the media

Revista Panamericana de Salud Publica/Pan American Journal of Public Health

Volumn 18, Issue 1, 2005, Pages 33-36

  Morgan, Oliver ^a   De Goyet, Claude De Ville ^b  

^a LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE   (United Kingdom)

^b NONE

Author keywords

Burial; Cadaver; Communications media; Disease outbreaks; Information dissemination; Natural disasters

Indexed keywords

DISASTER MANAGEMENT; DISEASE TRANSMISSION; INFECTIOUS DISEASE; NATURAL DISASTER; PUBLIC HEALTH;

CADAVER; DISASTER; DISEASE TRANSMISSION; EPIDEMIC; HEALTH EDUCATION; HUMAN; HUMAN RIGHTS; INFORMATION DISSEMINATION; POSTHUMOUS CARE; REVIEW;

EID: 23744517074     PISSN: 10204989     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1590/S1020-49892005000600006     Document Type: Review

References (11)

1. De Ville de Goyet C. Las enfermedades transmisibles y la vigilancia epidemiológica en situaciones de desastres naturales. Bol Oficina Sanit Panam. 1980;89(4):353-69.
2. De Ville de Goyet C. Stop propagating disaster myths. Lancet. 2000;356:762-4.
3. Curtis V, Biran A. Dirt, disgust, and disease. Is hygiene in our genes? Perspect Biol Med. 2001;44(1):17-31.
4. Morgan O. Infectious disease risks from dead bodies following natural disasters. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2004;15(5):307-12.
5. De Ville de Goyet C. Epidemics caused by dead bodies: a disaster myth that does not want to die. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2004; 15(5):297-9.
6. NBC11.com. Threat of health epidemic looms after quake, tsunamis [news report]. Available from: http://www.nbc11.com/health/ 4029138/detail.html. Accessed 21 January 2005.
7. World Health Organization. WHO warns up to five million people without access to basic services in Southeast Asia [press release]. Available from: http://www.who.int/ mediacentre/news/releases/2004/pr94/en/ Accessed 3 March 2005.
8. Pan American Health Organization. Fears of dead bodies are unfounded [press release]. Available from: http://www.paho.org/ English/DD/PIN/pr041229. htm Accessed 29 January 2005.
9. Jones M. How good was tsunami coverage in the media? [news story]. Available from: http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/ reliefresources/110667336256. htm Accessed 29 January 2005.
10. World Health Organization. Flooding and communicable diseases fact sheet [Web page]. Available from: http://www.who.int/ hac/techguidance/ems/en/ Floodingand CommunicableDiseasesfactsheet.pdf 2004. Accessed 27 December 2004.
11. Pan American Health Organization. Management of dead bodies in disaster situations. Washington, D.C.: PAHO; 2004. (Disaster Manuals and Guidelines on Disasters Series, No. 5).