When Every Drop Counts: Protecting Public Health During Drought Conditions - A Guide for Public Health Professionals

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health published this report to assist public health officials, practitioners, and other stakeholders in their efforts to understand and then prepare for drought in their communities. The document includes information about how drought affects public health, recommends steps to help mitigate the health effects of drought, identifies future needs for research and other drought-related activities, and provides a list of helpful resources and tools.

The report reflects the experience and knowledge of the working group members who participated in the 2008 Public Health Effects of Drought Workshop, and on the existing literature and data that have been collected regarding the impact of drought on health. The report provides an overview of basic drought- and water-related in¬formation and principles (such as the definition of drought; U.S. drought and water-use trends; and the relationship between drought and climate change).

Also addressed are drought-related public health effects, which are organized into several broad categories. Some of these categories include: compromised potable water quality and quantity, compromised food and nutrition, and increased disease incidence.

The report also offers information regarding drought preparation and response. To ensure usability, the document organizes these activities into two broad categories: those that should be conducted before and in the early stages of drought and those relevant to late-stage, severe drought conditions.

Topics covered for early stages of drought include:

  • assessing internal capacity,
  • participating in a jurisdiction-wide hazard and vulnerability assessment,
  • conducting a public health vulnerability assessment,
  • communicating drought strategies and recommendations,
  • developing mitigation strategies, and
  • documenting and evaluating drought preparedness activities.

Topics covered for late-stage, severe drought conditions include:

  • assigning and using resources to achieve drought response objectives,
  • ensuring public health participation in incident management systems and structures,
  • addressing requests for assistance and information, and
  • documenting and evaluating all drought response activities.

 

 

Publication Date: August 1, 2010

Related Organizations:

  • Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

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Resource Types:

  • Planning guides

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