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This report has two main aims: to highlight the need for physical therapist involvement in disaster management and particularly in Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs); and to brief physical therapists who want to work in the field, and national and international agencies who are already working in the field. Following an introduction to the topic of disasters, the paper outlines in separate sections the three phases of disaster management most relevant to physical therapists: preparedness; response; and recovery. Each section includes information on the role of physical therapists and details guidelines and resources to support practice in disaster management. Case studies include: Nepal, 2015 April earthquake; 2011- great East Japan earthquake; integration of rehabilitation professionals into the UK Emergency Medical Team; Nepal, 2011 onwards; Phillipines, typhoon Sendong, 2011;  Phillipines, typhoon Haiyan, November 2013; Haiti, 2011- physical therapy in post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction; Pakistan, earthquake Oct 2005; Phillipines, typhoon Bopha 2012-2013.

A short introduction to the Zika virus and pregnancy. This resources details the signs of the Zika virus and the difference between Zika virus, dengue, chikungunya, or malaria are outlined. How the mosquito spreads the disease, the prevention of mosquito bites, ways in which communities can prevent mosquito illnesses and removal of mosquito breeding sites from around the house and community are also covered

Note: resource is available online and in downloadable pdf formats

An overview of the life situations and locations of the world’s most vulnerable children based on results from the SOS Children’s Villages Programme Monitoring Database is presented. Risk factors are outlined and the percentages of each factors are reported. The Child Vulnerability Index (CVI) is given for a large number of countries

Patient education concerning HIV and antiretroviral (ARV) medications is important for optimal outcomes. The authors assessed the knowledge and perceptions of HIV-infected patients in an ARV education program in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The study population’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS and ARV medications, perceived stigmatization, and areas of knowledge deficits underscore the need for effective patient education programs addressing poorly understood issues around HIV/AIDS.

Life expectancy and the situation of persons living with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in low income settings was explored. Mortality rates from injuries and challenges in daily lives of people with injuries from poorer economic backgrounds are were investigated and are compared with those with higher incomes. Literature studies and qualitative methods were used. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 23 informants from four study sites in Zimbabwe representing persons with SCI, their relatives and rehabilitation professionals.

There are few publications available about life expectancy and the daily life of persons with SCI in low income countries. Those few publications identified and the study findings confirm that individuals with SCI are experiencing a high occurrence of pressure sores and urinary tract infections leading to unnecessary suffering, often causing premature death. Pain and depression are frequently reported and stigma and negative attitudes are experienced in society. Lack of appropriate wheelchairs and services, limited knowledge about SCI amongst health care staff, limited access to health care and rehabilitation services, loss of employment and lack of financial resources worsen the daily challenges.

Conclusion: The study indicates that life expectancy for individuals with SCI in low income settings is shorter than for the average population and also with respect to individuals with SCI in high income countries. Poverty worsened the situation for individuals with SCI, creating barriers that increase the risk of contracting harmful pressure sores and infections leading to premature death. Further explorations on mortality and how individuals with SCI and their families in low income settings are coping in their daily life are required to provide comprehensive evidences.

There is increasing international interest in the links between malnutrition and disability: both are major global public health problems, both are key human rights concerns, and both are currently prominent within the global health agenda. In this review, interactions between the two fields are explored and it is argued that strengthening links would lead to important mutual benefits and synergies. At numerous points throughout the life-cycle, malnutrition can cause or contribute to an individual's physical, sensory, intellectual or mental health disability. By working more closely together, these problems can be transformed into opportunities: nutrition services and programmes for children and adults can act as entry points to address and, in some cases, avoid or mitigate disability; disability programmes can improve nutrition for the children and adults they serve. For this to happen, however, political commitment and resources are needed, as are better data.



Paediatrics and International Child Health
Volume 34, 2014 - Issue 4: Nutrition and malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries
https://doi.org/10.1179/2046905514Y.0000000156

This report presents key findings on the evidence from research studies on violence against women with disabilities (WWD) and evidence from interventions to prevent violence.  Despite the greater vulnerability of WWD to gender-based violence (GBV), this report recognises that more research and innovation is needed to develop effective responses, including the identification of risk factors, especially in low-middle income settings. It notes the absence of publications on GBV against WWD, the lack of rigour and demonstrable effectiveness of interventions so far and presents key lessons learned and conclusions. This resource is useful for anyone interested in prevention of violence against women and girls with disabilities

This Study aimed to increase knowledge and data on evacuation characteristics of vulnerable people and with a special focus on blind and visually impaired people.

An experimental program designed to obtain data on walking speeds horizontally and descending stairs, interaction between participants and their interaction with the building environment. Experiments were conducted in different buildings including office buildings, an institutional building and a tunnel. In total 148 people have participated in the experiments. Parallel to the evacuation experiments participants were interviewed not only about their experience with the experiments but also their use of different building types and the difficulties they meet.

"There is a general lack of knowledge regarding disability and especially factors that are associated with disability in low-income countries. We aimed to study the overall and gender-specific prevalence of disability, and the association between exposure to traumatic events and disability in a post-conflict setting. We conducted a cross-sectional community based study of four Greater Bahr el Ghazal States, South Sudan (n = 1200). The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) was applied to investigate exposure to trauma events. Disability was measured using the Washington Group Short Measurement Set on Disability, which is an activity based scale derived from the WHO’s International Classification of Disability, Functioning and Health. The estimated prevalence of disability (with severe difficulty) was 3.6% and 13.4% for disability with moderate difficulties. No gender differences were found in disability prevalence. Almost all participants reported exposure to at least one war-related traumatic event. The result of a hierarchical regression analysis showed that, for both men and women, exposure to traumatic events, older age and living in a polygamous marriage increased the likelihood of having a disability. The finding of association between traumatic experience and disability underlines the precariousness of the human rights situation for individuals with disability in low-income countries. It also has possible implications for the construction of disability services and for the provision of health services to individuals exposed to traumatic events"

BMC Public Health, 13:469