Health surveillance among a team of Australian health workers assisting tsunami victims in Aceh, Indonesia

Abstract

Objective: To determine the extent and nature of health-related behaviours and outcomes among members of the first foreign medical team to arrive in Aceh, following the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. Methods: A cross sectional survey of team members 4 weeks after return from Aceh. Results: Compliance with antimalarial chemoprophylaxis and insect repellent was high while in Aceh, but only one-third completed the course of chemoprophylaxis. The provision of prepackaged food and water was likely to have prevented enteric disease. Members reported mosquito bites, fatigue, sunburn, headache and anxiety about earthquakes. Conclusions: Provision of prepackaged food and water, preventive measures and information to members may be important in avoiding illness in such teams.