The Pediatric Pandemic Network focuses its efforts on ensuring all children and adolescents are an integral part of preparedness, from family emergency plans to hospital drills, to everyday conversations with parents.
Why pediatric preparedness matters
Children and adolescents make up 25% of the United States population. Kids are not just small adults; they have unique needs when it comes to disasters. Those needs aren’t always included in emergency planning. Research shows people under 18 are more vulnerable than other demographics to negative, long-lasting impacts after disasters.
Effects on kids can include:
- Physical health issues: Studies have shown that children who experienced a natural disaster had an increased chance of acute illnesses (diarrhea, fever, respiratory problems).
- Mental health problems: As many as 50% of children say they have experienced post-traumatic stress, depression symptoms, anxiety, and other related issues after a disaster.
- Impacts on school attendance and learning: During disasters, many schools are forced to close, causing children to lose days or weeks of learning time. Some children exposed to trauma experience changes in brain function, affecting how well they can learn.
Health disparities impact the pediatric population, too. Planners should ensure equity is at the heart of preparedness.
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility in Exercises
Many organizations and agencies offer guidance on including children in emergency and disaster planning.
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Emergency Planning with Children and ReadyKids
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Patient Care – Disasters and Children
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Ready Wrigley
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Disaster Technical Assistance Center and pediatric-focused resources
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN): Disaster-focused resources
- Emergency Medical Services for Children Innovation and Improvement Center (EIIC): Checklist of Essential Pediatric Domains and Considerations for Every Hospital’s Disaster Preparedness Policies
- Region V for Kids: Be Ready toolkit
- HHS: Maternal-Child Emergency Planning Toolkit
- Sesame Street: Teaching kids to know their address and phone number in case of disaster
Sources
- Legacy of disasters: The impact of climate change on children (Save the Children UK)
- Understanding the Impacts of Natural Disasters on Children (Society for Research in Child Development)