Module Health Education &Disaster

7 Management
What is the module all about?
Health is one of the most important aspects of life. It is an indispensable condition of happy and peaceful
living. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Health, we often hear, is wealth. The absence of
health paralyzes an individual in the realization of any activity and plan. One may have all the money and
resources but without health, his money and resources are futile. The importance of health is vital in every
person because it is one of the many aspects of life that money cannot buy reason for every individual to be
wary to prevent him from losing health.
This module will focus on health promotion and temporary urgent treatment, especially during
emergencies.
Objectives:
After reading the contents of this module, you should be able to:
1. Know the importance of health education and disaster management;
2. Familiarize yourselves with basic terms, concepts, and principles of health education and disaster
management;
3. Provide knowledge and skills in administering first aid and other emergency procedures; and
4. Develop the ability to respond and attend to different types of disasters and calamities.

LESSON 20: HEALTH

Health is a complete fitness of the body, soundness of mind, and wholesomeness of emotion, which
makes possible the highest quality of effective living and service.
BASIC TERMINOLOGIES:
Health Education - It is the total of the experiences that favorably influence habits, attitudes, and knowledge
relating to the individual and the community.
Hygiene – it is the science of promoting and prolonging health.
Public Health – it is the science and art of preventing disease and promoting and prolonging life through
organized effort.
Sanitation – refers to the establishment of the environmental condition favorable to health.
School health – it includes all the acts carried on in a school system in the interest of the student’s health.
Importance of studying health
a. Medical records show that current health practices are poor.
b. People’s attitude towards health does not lead to hygienic living.
c. People lack basic information regarding health matters.
d. Habits affect health and school can develop health habits.
Principles related to health
a. Heredity, environment, and mode of living determine one’s health.
b. The student’s health is a joint responsibility of the home, the school, as well as the community.
c. Teaching health in the school is principally in the hands of the health teacher.
d. Teaching health education is included in the curriculum starting from kindergarten up to college.
e. The health specialist of the school should have a better understanding of sympathy, cooperation, and
support to have an effective health education.
f. Better accomplishment of the medical dental, and nursing services of the school lies in the health
instruction and the development of healthy attitudes and habits.
g. The promotion of the teachers is important to the health education program as well as to the quality and
cost of education.
h. What constitutes a valuable element in the health education of the students is the professional skill and
initiative of the teacher.
i. It is very essential to develop the health practices of the student starting from kindergarten until he becomes
old enough to understand the scientific reasons upon which these practices rest.

Essential Facts which men should know (Fuentes, [Link]. 1999)

a. Heart disease – one of the leading causes of death among men is heart disease. This disease is brought by
a lack of concern for diet as well as a stressful lifestyle.
b. Hospital – men visit the doctor when they can no longer bear the pain. So, if their disease is already severe,
the tendency is to stay longer in the hospital.
c. Violence
FACTS ABOUT HEALTH
According to FUENTES (1999), women tend to live longer and are generally far healthier than men yet they
visit the doctor twice as often. When they are in the best of health, their basic biological function i.e.,
menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause frequently require medical intervention. Said study shows
the increasing and predominantly silent crisis in man’s health and well-being. In the 1920s, the life expectancy
of males and females was roughly the same. Now, life expectancy among males is over 10% lower of 7 years
shorter than that of women. The consequence is that men are at greater risk for several of the top killers-heart
disease, cancer, suicide, accidents, and violence.
ESSENTIAL FACTS, WHICH MEN SHOULD KNOW (FUENTES, Et. Al. 1999)
• Heart disease. One of the leading causes of death among men is heart disease. This disease is brought
by a lack of concern for diet as well as a stressful lifestyle.
• Hospital. Men visit the doctor when they can no longer bear the pain. So if their disease is already
severe; the tendency is to stay longer in the hospital.
• [Link] the use of physical force to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy.
Acquired immune Immune-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a viral disease caused by the
Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV) which attacks and weakens the body’s immune system
and ability to resist infection making it vulnerable to diseases and infections. The high-risk groups
are homosexuals, polygamous heterosexuals, and intravenous drug users. Sexual intercourse is
the
most common mode of transmission of HIV infection leading to a weakened (deficient) immune system. This
makes a person with HIV vulnerable to a particular group of illnesses (syndrome).
HIV can be passed on by exchange of bodily fluids: blood, breast milk, semen, and vaginal secretions.
It can pass through the mucus membranes directly into the bloodstream. It can be transmitted during anal, oral,
or sexual contact; when receiving infected blood transfusion, when sharing hypodermic needles as in the case
of drug users, and during pregnancy and childbirth.
HIV infection is not transmitted by:
1. Casual physical contact
2. Airborne droplets expelled when coughing or sneezing
3. Donating blood, as the equipment used is disposable
4. Mosquito or other insect bites
5. Sharing food or utensils
6. Swimming pools
The HIV/AIDS virus is difficult to detect. Victims usually suffer and die from another ailment to which
they become susceptible due to the virus which destroyed or seriously impaired the immune system. The
following are usually the early signs of virus assault:
Flu-like symptoms such as night sweats, persistent cough, swollen lymph glands, fatigue, shortness of
breath, skin rashes, diarrhea, loss of weight, fever, and viral infection.
Stages of HIV Infection 1. Early Stage
HIV has an incubation period of 5 – 10 years. No signs of infection yet. Though infections do not
manifest during this period, the carrier of such virus is highly infectious even without symptoms.
AIDS/HIV is asymptomatic during the later stage of the disease.
 2. Middle Stage
It is characterized by high fever and swollen lymph nodes, recurring flu, cough, fever and loss of
appetite, body pains, tiredness, and weakness. Mouth and skin infections due to decreased resistance
level sweating and weight loss.
3. Final Stage
Full-blown stage characterized by chronic diarrhea, pneumonia, pulmonary disease, TB, difficulty in
breathing, chest pains, and cough. Skin infections, irritations, and rashes usually around the anus,
genitals, and mouth brain infection or cancer, nausea, and blurred vision.

Who is vulnerable to HIV?

• People in prostitution Injecting drug users
• Men who have sex with Overseas Filipino workers men Young People

Preventive Measures
1. Abstinence and faithfulness to partner should be encouraged. Maintain monogamous sexual relationships
and avoid sexual contact with prostitutes.
2. Good sex education programs encourage delayed sexual debut. Avoid sex, particularly unprotected sex,
consistent and correct condom use, and avoidance of drugs. Intravenous drug abusers who share needles
because other users may be HIV/AIDS positive.
3. Access to youth-friendly reproductive health information and services, including prevention and treatment
of STDs, and voluntary and confidential HIV counseling and testing.
4. Prevention among young women/prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Women infected with AIDS
should be discouraged from getting pregnant since the infection could be transferred to the newborn and
the unborn.
5. Consult a doctor if you suspect HIV infection.
6. Screening blood donors. Infected donated blood is one of the sources of AIDS infection.
7. Vigilance especially on the part of medical practitioners.
Philippine AIDS Prevention & Control Act (R.A. 8504, 1998)
The law provides that “The state shall promote public awareness about the causes, modes of
transmission, consequences, and means of prevention and control of HIV/AIDS through a
comprehensive nationwide educational and information campaign organized and conducted by
the State.
“Such campaigns shall… be carried out in all schools and training centers, workplaces, and communities.
This program shall involve… people living with HIV/AIDS.” (Section 2. a)
It further asserts that “The State shall extend to every person suspected or known to be infected with
HIV/AIDS full protection of his/her human rights and civil liberties,” (Section 2. b)

LESSON 21: WHAT IS FIRST AID?

FIRST AID
The Boy Scout motto “be prepared” manifests one’s ability to cope with any eventually that might come in
life. Preparedness and cautiousness a key to well- planned life. Emergency strikes without warning and notice,
and knowing how to react quickly to a given situation gives us an edge to handle the situation.
Knowledge of the emergency procedure is essential in life-and-death situations.
What is First Aid?
First aid is the skilled application of immediate temporary care and treatment using facilities or materials that
are available at hand during the time of an incident given by any trained person until proper medical assistance
arrives.
Urgent treatment is needed when the emergency comes. A trained individual or a first aider gets into the scene
to preserve the victim’s life; prevent complications or keep the condition of the victim from worsening, aid
recovery, comfort the victim, and help relieve the pain. The duty of a first aider commences the moment an
accident happens and ends when the services of a medical practitioner preferably a doctor begin. However,
through report, evaluation, and assessment of the incident the nature and gravity of the injury, and the condition
of the victim should be made and given to the physician.
Qualities of Good First Aider
1. Must be gentle and careful in handling the victim by not causing or adding pain.
2. Must be observant and sensitive to what the victim feels and needs and pay attention to all signs of
injury and pain in the body of the victim.
3. Must be dedicated and willing to help and extend assistance without expecting anything in return.
4. Must be resourceful by using things that are available to help aid the victim.
5. Being cheerful helps ease the pain by making the victim confident helping cheer and make the victim
feel better. One has to have a good sense of humor to be able to cheer up the victim.
6. Must be sympathetic-knows how to comfort the victim by giving assurance care and is concerned.
7. Must be tactful for the victim to have confidence; Make the victim confident and assured that the
necessary help is being administered.
Directions for First Aiders
1. Adjust the victim to the proper position.
2. Examine the victim. Check for injuries.
3. First aid should be given immediately.
4. Check and maintain the victim’s body temperature.
5. Call a doctor.
6. Keep curious people away.
7. Make the victim happy and comfortable.
8. Appropriate transportation should be provided to the victim as well as tender loving care.
9. Do not give any liquid to an unconscious victim.
Important Emergency Procedure
The basic support system of the body is circulation and respiratory, for without this function,
life cannot be sustained. To effectively support these systems, Basic Life Support (BLS)
procedures have been designed to intervene when these systems are assessed to need intervention.
Indications for BLS are:
• Primary respiratory arrest. The heart can circulate the blood until all the oxygen present in the blood and
lungs has been depleted, at which time the vital oxygen, such as the brain and heart, will cease to
function and will stop breathing (respiratory arrest) from the number of causes. These include drowning,
an object in the airway suffocation smoke inhalation, stroke, drug overdose, heart attack, injuries, and
coma.
• Primary cardiac arrest. When the heart stops beating, blood is not circulated, and the oxygen in the blood
is used up by the tissues and organs in a matter of seconds. Among the causes for the heart to stop
beating are a massive heart attack, fibrillation (twitching) of the ventricles, and beating too fast
(tachycardia).
Before instituting any emergency procedure, there must be an assessment of the victim. The assessment
involves:
1. Response ----- Is the victim conscious 3. Pulse ----- Is the victim’s heart beating?
2. Breath ----- Is the victim breathing?
The major important emergency procedures that are needed from time to time in rendering first aid to someone
who is injured or seriously ill are outlined below, they are called the CABs of cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR).
1. Circulation ----- Provide external chest 2. Airway ----- See if the airway is open.
compression. 3. Breathing ----- Give artificial respiration. ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATORY
Artificial respiration can be given, even if breathing has not entirely stopped, but is very slow and weak. Time
your breathing out with the victim’s breathing in.
Step 1
A. Establish unresponsiveness. Know if the victim is conscious or not.
B. Look for the chest movement and place your ear to his mouth to check for breathing.
C. Call for medical help.
Step 2 “Chin lift,” if no neck injury is suspected.
A. Tilt the victim’s head to a “sniffing” position (as when you smell a rose) by lifting his neck with one hand
while pushing back on his forehead with the other.
B. Pinch the victim’s tongue and chin between your fingers. Wipe any foreign material from his mouth (using
your finger and a handkerchief), and see that his tongue has not fallen backward.
Step 3 Pinch the victim’s nose shut, take a deep breath, place your mouth firmly over his mouth, and give two
quick breaths in rapid succession. In the case of children, cover both nose and mouth with your mouth. Step
4 Remove your mouth from the victim’s face. Look toward his chest so you can observe it fall, and listen to
the sound of escaping air. Feel his breath on your face. If you feel none, try exhaling into his mouth again,
more vigorously this time. If his chest still does not rise, the windpipe is obstructed. If the victim is a child,
slap sharply between the shoulders and clear the mouth of any obstructing material. If the victim is an adult,
use the Heimlich maneuver.
Step 5 Continue blowing air into the victim’s lungs every five seconds (twelve to fourteen times a minute)
until he resumes normal breathing.
Caution: When giving mouth–to–mouth respiration to infants or very small children, remember that their lung
capacity is small. Do not over-inflate a child’s lungs. Only empty the air you can hold in your cheeks. Give
gentle, small exhalation and watch the child’s chest rise and fall. If the airway is obstructed, hold the child by
the feet and gently thump between the shoulder blades.
CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION (CPR)
When the heart stops beating, the circulation of blood ceases, and thereafter breathing terminates.
An emergency measure called cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be administered.
Procedures:
Step 1 Establish the victim’s unresponsiveness--- that he or she is unconscious: Look, Listen, Feel.
Step 2 Call for help.
Step 3 Lay the victim on his back on a firm surface, such as on the floor. His arms should be parallel to his
sides. And his head should be slightly lower than his chest.
Note: if there is a possible neck injury, avoid moving the victim’s neck as you position him.
Step 4 Tilt the victim's head back, and with one hand behind his neck, raise it upward. This will bring his chin
up and open his airway. Clear his mouth of any foreign materials. The ideal head-neck position is “sniffing”
(as if smelling a rose).
Step 5 Give two quick breaths.
Step 6 Check the victim's pulse.
Step 7 In adults, place a finger in the notch at the lower end of the victim’s breastbone. Place the base of one
of your palms 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the finger in the notch. Now remove the finger from the notch and place
that hand on the back of the other hand. Keep your arms straight while kneeling at right angles to the victim.
Step 8 Push straight down, compressing the chest of an adult 1- 1⁄2 to 2 inches, smoothly and regularly.
Between compressions, keep your hands lightly in contact with his chest. Give eighty compressions per
minute.
Step 9 After fifteen compressions lean forward, tip the victim’s head, and give him two full breaths in four
seconds.
Step 10 After every minute or two, check the victim’s pulse (preferably in the neck) and breathe for five
seconds. Look for the rise of the chest; listen to breath sounds, and feel his breath on your face.
Caution: For infants and small children, the force of compression should not bruise the heart or
fracture the ribs. In babies, the pressure should be gentle, exerted through the tips of the operator’s
index and long fingers. At eight to ten fingers years old, apply pressure with the heel of one hand.
FIRST AID FOR COMMON ACCIDENTS
1. Severe Bleeding - Too much bleeding can be fatal. Both internal and external bleeding are life-threatening
problems that require immediate attention to prevent death. To stop excessive bleeding from wounds, apply
pressure on the area in case of shallow wounds. For deep wounds, apply pressure on it with your finger until
a clot is formed.
If there is no obvious bleeding after an accident but the victim goes into shock, there may be internal bleeding.
The following are the signs:
a. paleness d. cold sweat
b. loss of consciousness e. drowsiness
c. rapid breathing and rapid pulse rate f. cold and moist skin
2. Poisoning Common signs of poisoning
a. vomiting e. diarrhea
b. redness or burns around the mouth of a victim f. confusion
c. nausea g. convulsion d. abdominal pain
Types of poisoning
1. Poisons injected through the skin. This includes bites or stings from animals, reptiles, and insects.
2. Poisoning by skin contact. Many chemicals do not only injure the skin but can be absorbed into the
bloodstream and affect body organs.
3. Poisoning by inhalation. Inhalation of poisonous gas such as carbon monoxide.
4. Poisoning by mouth. Swallowing a poisonous product or corrosive poison.

FIVE IMPORTANT PROCEDURES

Procedure A: When the victim is unconscious administer artificial respiration if needed. Do not give fluids
or try to induce vomiting. If vomiting occurs spontaneously, turn the victim’s head so that the vomit drains
freely, and save it for examination.
Procedure B: When the victim swallows a petroleum product like kerosene, gasoline, benzene, paint thinner,
fuel oil, or naphtha, do not induce vomiting. Provide artificial respiration if needed. If the victim is conscious,
give him a glass of milk, egg white, or crushed banana to soothe the membranes.
Procedure C: When the victim swallows a corrosive poison like strong acids or alkalis-battery acid, soldering
compound, lye, caustic soda, drain and toilet cleaners, and dishwashing detergents, do not induce vomiting.
The damage occurs in the mouth and esophagus. Give the victim a glass of milk, or water if no milk is
available. Cream, egg whites, and cracked ice are also helpful.
Procedure D: When the poison is causing the victim to convulse do not prevent movements, but protect
against further injury. Loosen the clothing around the victim’s neck. Keep your fingers out of the victim’s
mouth to avoid being bitten. Do not give fluids or try to make the victim vomit. If vomiting occurs
spontaneously, turn the victim’s head so the vomit drains freely, and save it for examination.
Procedure E: When the victim is conscious and not convulsing and has not swallowed a petroleum product
or corrosive poison, take the following steps:
a. Dilute the poison in the victim’s stomach by having him drink milk or water.
b. Induce vomiting to empty the stomach.
c. If it is available, give activated charcoal to absorb any poison that remains.
3. Choking - This can happen when a piece of food or foreign object blocks the windpipe which causes a
victim difficulty in breathing or to stop breathing. If the obstruction is only partial, the victim can usually
breathe in enough air to cough and dislodge the object. If the stairway is blocked, immediate action is needed.
What should be done?
a. Open the victim’s mouth and sweep a hooked finger deep inside to remove the obstruction.
b. Slap the victim hard between the shoulder blades four times with the heel of your hand.
c. If the victim is a small child, raise your leg and hold his face down over the thigh, with his head lower
than his chest while slapping.
d. If the victim is a bigger child or an adult, hold his head lower than his chest.
e. If you fail to remove the obstruction, perform the Heimlich maneuver until such time the obstruction is
removed.
f. If this fails, do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
4. Drowning - This is an incident in which anybody can be a victim especially those who do not know how to
swim.
What should be done?
a. Immediately pull the victim out of the water
b. If the victim is coughing, it means that he is still breathing, immediately put him in the recovery position
so that the water from his lungs and airways will be drained.
c. Immediately conduct mouth-to-mouth resuscitation if he is not breathing. If there is no pulse, do
cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
5. Fracture and Dislocation
These could happen when a person falls hard.
a. The first aider should be skilled in handling a simple fracture properly
b. Avoid handling and moving the injured person until a splint is applied.
c. Place two sticks on each side of the broken part.
d. Place padding made of soft material between the sticks and the injured part.
e. Tie the sticks firmly above and below the injury.
f. If the victim is not breathing but there is a pulse, do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
g. If he is breathing and there is no pulse, do cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
h. Try to stop bleeding. Cover the open wound with a clean cloth or sterile dressing.
i. If you have to move the victim before medical help arrives, immobilize the broken part to prevent further
injury.

---- End of Module 7 ----