Humanitarian assistance:who should provide it and what does it involve?

摘要

To prevent and reduce mortality and morbidity and promote a return to normality are the primary roles of the humanitarian response to a disaster.1 Disaster relief has come into sharp focus in the past month following the tsunami in the Indian Ocean but there are other natural disasters.including earthquakes.winds and floods.which also demand a response.The type of disaster determines the public health and medical needs of the community.In Table 1 the short-term effects of disasters and the subsequent population needs are outlined.