Tarantino Dave
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Washington, DC 20301, USA.
Mil Med. 2006 Oct;171(10 Suppl 1):15-8. doi: 10.7205/milmed.171.1s.15.
The Asian tsunami of December 26, 2004, was one of the most devastating natural disasters in modern history. In particular, this disaster created massive, unique, public health threats, necessitating equally massive public health response efforts. The U.S. government (USG), including the Department of Defense (DoD), played a pivotal role in the response. This article examines some of the central policy issues and strategic coordination and planning measures involved in the public health response. The nearly unanimous consensus of international public health experts has been that the potential public health crisis in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami was averted largely because of the coordinated efforts of host nation officials and professionals, international and nongovernmental health organizations, and bilateral donors, especially the USG, including the DoD. The DoD played a central role in public health efforts through coordination and communication assistance, logistical and materiel support, disease surveillance activities, health needs assessments, and the contributions of the USS Mercy hospital ship. The core lessons involve the importance of an early, dedicated, public health response as a component of the overall disaster relief effort, as well as seamless coordination of health sector stakeholders in the USG and with those of the international community and affected host nations, which allows each organization to play to its strengths and to avoid duplication. The Asian tsunami relief effort highlighted the value of civil-military cooperation in disaster relief, particularly in the area of public health. The prominent role of the DoD in tsunami relief efforts, including public health efforts, also yielded beneficial secondary effects by bolstering security cooperation and winning "hearts and minds" in the region.
2004年12月26日的亚洲海啸是现代历史上最具毁灭性的自然灾害之一。特别是，这场灾难带来了大规模、独特的公共卫生威胁，需要同样大规模的公共卫生应对行动。美国政府，包括国防部，在应对中发挥了关键作用。本文探讨了公共卫生应对中涉及的一些核心政策问题以及战略协调与规划措施。国际公共卫生专家几乎一致认为，亚洲海啸后的潜在公共卫生危机得以避免，很大程度上归功于受灾国官员和专业人员、国际和非政府卫生组织以及双边捐助方，特别是美国政府（包括国防部）的协同努力。国防部通过协调与通信援助、后勤和物资支持、疾病监测活动、健康需求评估以及“仁慈号”医院船的贡献，在公共卫生工作中发挥了核心作用。核心经验教训包括，早期、专门的公共卫生应对作为整体救灾工作一部分的重要性，以及美国政府卫生部门利益相关者与国际社会及受灾国利益相关者的无缝协调。这使得每个组织都能发挥自身优势，避免工作重复。亚洲海啸救援工作凸显了军民合作在救灾，特别是公共卫生领域的价值。国防部在海啸救援工作（包括公共卫生工作）中的突出作用，还通过加强安全合作和赢得该地区“民心”产生了有益的附带效果。
