Addressing Preparedness Challenges for Children in Public Health Emergencies

Public health emergencies can happen at any time, anywhere. Natural disasters, epidemics, and terrorist attacks that have occurred in recent years have underscored the importance of local, state, and federal public health systems in preparing for potential health threats.  Public health emergencies, such as Hurricane Katrina, the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, and 9/11 have shown that children have different needs than adults, and require special attention, such as pediatric-focused care. However, responses to past events also show that the unique needs of children have not been adequately addressed in the planning process.

Incorporating the needs of children into emergency preparedness planning is critical. A child’s age and size may require the use of different medications or equipment for medical care, but availability of these pediatric resources is often limited. Clinicians accustomed to performing certain procedures on adults often do not feel comfortable performing these same procedures on a child – posing dilemmas for individual responders during times of emergency.

This session of Grand Rounds will discuss strategies to address the unique vulnerabilities of children in every stage of emergency planning. Presenters will also highlight the strong progress that has been made in pediatric disaster readiness as well as the collaboration that is still needed between public health professionals and pediatric care providers to improve the outcomes for children during emergencies.