Public health concerns grow over foot and mouth outbreak

Hunter, Mark

doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7291.881

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Some contributors called for examination of the anxiety, stress, and other mental health consequences which they believed must follow:9 “at best, major stress and anxiety states; at worst, suicide and its consequences for families. Are these not ‘human consequences’, and indeed public health matters?”10 One correspondent reported that the (then) health authority in the worst affected area had been only “peripherally involved,” and called for a greater public health role in managing the disaster 11…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial effects of the 2001 UK foot and mouth disease epidemic in a rural population: qualitative diary based study

Mort

Convery²,

Baxter

et al. 2005

BMJ

108

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Objectives To understand the health and social consequences of the 2001 foot and mouth disease epidemic for a rural population. Design Longitudinal qualitative analysis. Setting North Cumbria, the worst affected area in Britain. Sample Purposive sample of 54 respondents divided in six demographically balanced rural occupational and population groups. Main outcome measures 3071 weekly diaries contributed over 18 months; 72 semistructured interviews (with the 54 diarists and 18 others); 12 group discussions with diarists Results The disease epidemic was a human tragedy, not just an animal one. Respondents' reports showed that life after the foot and mouth disease epidemic was accompanied by distress, feelings of bereavement, fear of a new disaster, loss of trust in authority and systems of control, and the undermining of the value of local knowledge. Distress was experienced across diverse groups well beyond the farming community. Many of these effects continued to feature in the diaries throughout the 18 month period. Conclusions The use of a rural citizens' panel allowed data capture from a wide spectrum of the rural population and showed that a greater number of workers and residents had traumatic experiences than has previously been reported. Recommendations for future disaster management include joint service reviews of what counts as a disaster, regular NHS and voluntary sector sharing of intelligence, debriefing and peer support for front line workers, increased community involvement in disposal site or disaster management, and wider, more flexible access to regeneration funding and rural health outreach work.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial effects of the 2001 UK foot and mouth disease epidemic in a rural population: qualitative diary based study

Mort

Convery²,

Baxter

et al. 2005

BMJ

108

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Identification of possible health effects of incinerators is important given the growth of incineration as a method of waste disposal 19 and its widespread use for the disposal of animal carcasses during the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the UK. 20 This study investigated the risk of stillbirth, neonatal death, and lethal congenital anomaly among the offspring of mothers living close to incinerators and crematoriums in Cumbria, north west England, between 1956 and 1993.…”

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confidence: 99%