Epidemiology Vulnerabilities in Lexington County,

Epidemiology Vulnerabilities in Lexington County, LA

There are several issues at work in Lexington County increasing the populations risk of exposure to communicable diseases, as is evidenced by the much higher rate of chronic diseases observed in the county when compared with the national average. The fact that more than fifty percent of Lexington County's residents live below the federally established poverty live is one major factor serving to increase the risk of the spread of infectious diseases as well as increasing risk for the development of other conditions; unsanitary living conditions, malnutrition, and inadequate access to basic and preventative care are all factors that increase the rate and extremity of exposure to illness and disease among impoverished communities. In addition to this major socioeconomic factor influencing epidemiology concerns in Lexington County, other geographical and social factors also serve to increase the risk of disease development and spread, particularly among certain populations.

As most of the county lies below sea level, with eighty-five miles of cost line along the Gulf of Mexico and hurricanes a frequent and often devastating occurrence, access to clean water is one of the biggest problems facing Lexington County from a health perspective. The frequent flooding that the area experiences because of its geographical and climatic setting has the potential to contaminate municipal water supplies as well as any individual wells that exist in the area -- the prevalence of which is also generally higher in rural communities -- and the dangers presented by flooding are made greater still by the presence of the many fuel storage tanks and chemical factories located throughout the county.

There are several populations within the county that are especially at risk for disease due to a lack of access to clean water and other issues. The minimum security prison located within the county, like all places where large numbers of human beings live in a relatively confined space for extended periods of time, is likely to be a hotbed for the spread of infections and communicable diseases, and such facilities are often lacking in adequate funding for and attention to basic hygiene and sanitation needs. Patients in the long-term care facilities and the hospital are also, as always, at an increased risk for infection and disease based on the general health profiles of individuals entering such facilities and, again, due to the confined nature of the buildings. The depressed economic condition of the county will also make general infrastructure and health services less able to handle everyday health needs and access provision, let alone responses to emergency situations.

Emergency response efforts and epidemiological control should be focused on providing clean water and sanitary conditions to all residents of the county, and ensuring that the ability to limit the amount of confinement and contact between individuals exists in emergency situations. Ensuring adequate infrastructure and the provision of basic health and quarantine needs must be the paramount focus of all such efforts, as these are the elements most noticeably lacking in the community during non-emergency and everyday situations.

Lexington County Emergency Response

The first priority in the emergency response of the epidemiology teams must be those patients that are already being assisted by county officials in their health and general well-being following the hurricane damage and flooding. This includes the prison population, the patients in the hospital and any county-assisted long-term care facilities, and all of those who utilized the relief shelters set up throughout the county. Those residents who attempted to shelter in place rather than evacuating to one of the relief shelters as recommended will also need to be served, of course, but as the scattered nature of these residents will require a much greater expenditure of time and available resources in order to treat and asses far fewer people, the bulk of resources must first and foremost be applied to those population centers already established prior to, during, or immediately in the wake of the emergency event. The response for these populations will be relatively straightforward, and the focus on these community populations specifically is directly needs-based.

Not only will these populations require fewer per-person resources and time expenditures in order to be assessed for health needs, provided with necessary care, and ensured an adequate access to health care, sanitary conditions, and hygiene needs, but these population groups will also be at a higher risk for the spread of infection due to crowding. This is among the several reasons that these populations will be approached and assessed first; those individuals and families attempting to shelter in place are far less likely to receive infections and communicable diseases from others, even with reduced access to infrastructure and sanitary conditions.