PHN Topic 8 DQ 1-Discuss the topic chosen for the presentation on one recent natural or human-caused disaster

Topic 8 DQ 1
Discuss the topic chosen for the presentation on one recent natural or human-caused disaster. (Please refer to order number 133493 for the chosen Topic). Discuss why you chose the topic and the impact it has on public health nursing.

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Solution

PHN Topic 8 DQ 1

One of the most recent natural disasters that have had a significant impact on public health was the Australian bushfire disaster of 2019-2020. The bush fires were unprecedented due to the area affected and the number of animals and human beings that were impacted. The Australian bushfires spread over 17 million hectares in Western and South Australia, Victoria, and NSW, among other regions (Filkov et al., 2020). The Australian bush fires resulted in 33 deaths and led to the displacement of an estimated 1 billion terrestrial animals. Australian bushfires are also believed to have pushed numerous animals to extinction and became the costliest natural disaster in Australia to date (Filkov et al., 2020).

I chose the topic of Australian bushfires because of the significant impact that a disaster had on public health. Public health nurses are viewed as front-line workers in times of disaster. Public health nurses, therefore, play a vital role in enhancing disaster preparedness and disaster response and recovery (al Harthi et al., 2020). In Australia, public health nurses should therefore have considered the impact that bush fires would have on the health of the population and how to mitigate such impacts. In the Australian bushfire disaster, public health nurses would therefore have helped to draw up comprehensive plans and disaster policies to mitigate public health threats caused by the disaster, such as air pollution (al Harthi et al., 2020). Public health nurses also have a significant role to play in responding to disasters and recovery. For instance, public health nurses in Australia can help implement public health policies that can improve the resilience of community disasters such as bushfires. Public health nurses can also advocate for the implementation of environmental conservation efforts that can help prevent the onset of massive bushfires in the future (al Harthi et al., 2020).

References

al Harthi, M., al Thobaity, A., al Ahmari, W., & Almalki, M. (2020). Challenges for Nurses in Disaster Management: A Scoping Review. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, Volume 13, 2627–2634. https://doi.org/10.2147/rmhp.s279513

Filkov, A. I., Ngo, T., Matthews, S., Telfer, S., & Penman, T. D. (2020). Impact of Australia’s catastrophic 2019/20 bushfire season on communities and environment. Retrospective analysis and current trends. Journal of Safety Science and Resilience, 1(1), 44–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnlssr.2020.06.009