This manual is intended to help health professionals and public health coordinators working in emergency situations prevent, detect and control the major communicable diseases encountered by affected populations (diarrhoeal diseases, acute respiratory infections, measles, and malaria). This field manual is the result of collaboration among a number of WHO departments and several external partner agencies in reviewing existing guidelines on communicable disease control and adapting them to emergency situations. This manual deals with the fundamental principles of communicable disease control in emergencies, which are: rapid assessment; prevention; surveillance; outbreak control; and disease management. It is hoped that this manual, by setting standards for communicable disease control in emergencies, will promote effective, coordinated action towards the prevention and control of communicable diseases in emergencies. Search keywords: earthquake, disaster.
