After the Tsunami — Facing the Public Health Challenges

Drs. Michael VanRooyen and Jennifer Leaning write that despite the massive scale of this emergency, we are better prepared than ever to deal with the immediate health threats created by the tsunami. What remains uncertain is the extent to which donors and implementers will be able to support the transition to long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction. The tsunami that struck 11 countries in South Asia on the morning of December 26, 2004, resulted in a natural disaster of apocalyptic proportions. The sheer scope and severity of destruction have prompted extraordinary international attention and support for survivors on the coastal rims and the islands in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. The devastation wrought by the tsunami was catastrophic — more than 150,000 people dead, tens of thousands of people missing, thousands of miles of destroyed coastline, and loss of livelihood for millions of distraught survivors. The task facing the international community as it attempts . . .