PUBLIC HEALTH AND WATER QUALITY ISSUES IN SOUTH-WESTERN THAILAND AFTER THE DECEMBER 2004 TSUNAMI: LESSONS LEARNED AND ACCTED UPON

Abstract

In December 2004, a major earthquake in the Andaman Sea generated a tsunami radiating across the Andaman Sea and Indian Ocean, including coastal resort communities of Thailand among affected areas. When the tsunami struck, the Thai coast local resort communities were filled with seasonal holiday travellers from Europe and elsewhere combined with the local populations. Devastation in low lying coastal plain was indiscriminate and extensive, resulting in over 5,000 dead and 500,000 displaced. * Correspondence to: Mayuna Srisuphanunt ([email protected])Author email address: Email address: [email protected] (NK); [email protected] (GK); [email protected] (JR); [email protected] (MS)

Keywords

• tsunami
• health effects
• water quality
• risk management
• cryptosporidium
• guardia
• social support