ABSTRACT
On this occasion, prompt information exchange was essential to minimize the number of casualties by snakebite and the Internet proved to be quite helpful to connect specialists each other on an international scale. It was also strongly recommended to organize disaster-related networks during the pre-disaster period.
* Department of Emergency Medicine, Ehime University School of Medicine,
インターネットを用いた災害情報ネットワークであるThe Global Health Disaster Network (GHDNet) による情報支援が、カンボジア洪水後の蛇毒血清入手の活動に寄与した。1997年８月６日、カンボジア政府からＷＨＯ西太平洋支部、緊急人道局（EHA）に100人分の蛇毒多価血清を入手したいという要請があった。同国では最近のメコン川の大洪水により、多数の蛇咬傷の発生が予想されていた。しかし、EHAでは依頼のあった時点で、何種類かの単価血清を確保できたに過ぎず、またカンボジアに生息する毒蛇の種類やどこで血清を入手できるかについての情報を持っていなかった。EHAからGHDNetを経由して、関連メーリングリストに問い合わせの電子メールが送られ、その結果、日本蛇毒センターおよびインド血清センターとの連絡が取れた。血清がカンボジアへ空路送られたのは８月16日であった。この事例から、インターネットおよび国際的な規模で各種の専門家を結びつけることのできる災害ネットワークの有用性が確認された。
A mailing list is a computer system that enables us to send e-mails to a large number of members on the list automatically. Mailing lists maintained by us are The Mailing List for Emergency Medicine (EML), for Fire and Disaster Prevention, for Emergency Medical Centers, for Japan Red Cross members, and for Disaster and Public Health. Mailing lists Closely Linked with our Emergency Mailing List include ML-Poison, World NGO Network (WNN) and Critical Care Network.
In this paper we report a case in which the GHDNet played an important role in transmission of disaster information.
On Aug. 6, 1997, request for snake antiserum for 100 people was sent from the Government of Cambodia to the Emergency and Humanitarian Action (EHA), Western Pacific Regional Office. There had been a serious flood in Cambodia and quite a lot of snakebite cases were expected aftermath the flood. However, they could provide only few types of monovalent antiserum, and also they had very limited information about the snakes in Cambodia.
Then request for Collaboration was sent from EHA, WHO to one of the GHDNet member on Aug.13 by e-mail and the mail was forwarded to three related mailing lists, EML, ML-Poison and WNN. Consequently, from the members of ML-Poison, several e-mails were sent to us introducing specialists of venomous snakes.
Fig.1 shows the course of the information relay. By August 18th, the EHA could contact specialists from Colorado State University and Japan Snake Institute. They recommended purchasing the antiserum from The Serum Institute of India, as India shares many families of snakes with Cambodia (Tab.1) and as the Institute might have stored enough volume of antiserum. Finally, in Aug.18, antiserum for 100 persons was ordered to the Serum Institute of India, and was transported to Cambodia by air. On 19, additional information about the proper quantity of antiserum was sent from Japan Snake Center to the EHA.
Fig.1 Course of the information relay
Table 1. Venomous snakes in Cambodia and in India
Tab. 2. Flood situations in Cambodia
We conclude that on this occasion, prompt information exchange was essential to minimize the number of casualties by snakebite, and the Internet proved to be quite helpful to connect specialists each other on an international scale. It is strongly recommended to organize disaster-related networks during the pre-disaster period.
Reference
1) Ochi G, Shirakawa Y, Tanaka M, et al. An Introduction to the Global Health Disaster Network (GHDNet) . Japanese Journal of Disaster Medicine 1997; 2: 18-22インターネットを用いた、カンボジア洪水後の蛇毒血清入手のための情報支援
** Western Pacific Regional Office, Emergency and Humanitarian Action, WHO
*** Japan Snake Institute, Japan
**** Dept. of Epidemiology, University of PittsburghInformation Transmission through the Internet for the Preparedness against Venomous Snake as the Aftermath of Cambodian Flood in 1997
