Public health, epidemiology and war

delivery of humanitarian aid in wartime is difficult. However it is essential that aid is provided in the most effective manner possible, targeted on those most in need whilist minimizing waste. Furthermore the delivery of aid should be sensitive to the future needs of the communities in conflict. This requires information on the needs of the vulnerable population. There is litle experience of collecting data on the impacts of war on a civilian population. The war in Bosnia disrupted surveillance of communicable disease. The local authorities were assisted by the World Health Organization in re-establishing survillance. The data generated was valuable in planning interventions to munimise the possibility of major outbreaks of infection, reduce the impact of infectious disease and in guiding the humanitarian aid effort. The experience described suggests that public health surveillance of the civilian population in wartime is possible and useful. Besides the need for planning, the public health doctor in wartime has a role as an advocate for those suffering; this funtion can be carried aut much more effectively if is based on objective data collection rather than hearsay (AU)

Rebuilding Sarajevo

Sarajevo is no longer the city is was and will, over the next few years, have to find a new role for itself based on a presentation at the rebuilding Sarajevo Workshop, held in York, UK in May 1994, seeks to explore the four underlying principles that are likely to be relevant to the city of Sarajevo and its rebirth. (AU)

Risk estimation of radioactive contamination after the Chernobyl accident using bioindicators

After the Chernobyl nuclear accident, game meat and, in particular, sheep meat in the Republic of Croatia showed a high degree of radioactive contamination compared to large livestock. The activity concentrations of I, Cs, and Cs were measured in meat and internal organs (i.e., lung, liver, kidney, and heart) of game (e.g., venison, hare, and will boar) and sheep that were used as biological indicators of radioactive contamination. In order to estimate the importance of game and sheep as a dietary source of adioactivity, the effective dose equivalent for the average and critical population (hunters and livestock raising families) were calculated. The data indicated that sheep meat represents greater risk for the human populations, in case of a nuclear accident, than game meat. The share of meat from sheep (4.4

) prevailed over the share of meat from game (0.5

) when comparing the average intake of meat per inhabitant in Croatia. This result pointed to an increased risk for families who depend mostly on sheep meat in the case of a nuclear accident(AU)

Emergency planning in Yugoslovia

The paper presents the general philosophy applied in Yugoslovia to the problem of an emergency caused by nuclear facility; background information on the Yugoslav nuclear energy programme; relevant data on the Yugoslav nuclear power plant; experiences in the light of the recommendations provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency in its safety documents and specific reports of its missions to Yugoslavia; and finaly legal, organizational, planning and in specific reports of its missions to Yugoslavia; and finally legal, organizational, planning and reviewing aspects of the Civil Protection Organization applying to radiological emergencies at nuclear power plants. (AU)