title: The medical association activity and pediatric care after the earthquake disaster in Fukushima.
abstract: On March 11, 2011, a gigantic earthquake struck eastern Japan. Utilities such as       electricity, water, gas and telecommunication were interrupted. In Koriyama, the City Hall       collapsed and government administration offices had to be moved to a nearby baseball stadium       that had been designed to include facilities for use during a pandemic. An operations center       was set up in this stadium. As members of the Koriyama Medical Association, we following the       disaster protocol and set up our operations center in the Koriyama Medical Care Hospital. One       large hospital with 280 inpatients and another hospital with 150 inpatients had been heavily       damaged. Transfer of those patients to other hospitals without the use of telecommunications       was extremely difficult. Many doctors in member hospitals and clinics went out of their way to       cooperate throughout the crisis. Up to 5,000 people from the radiation evacuation zone were       rushed to Koriyama. They stayed in schools and community centers, where we provided them with       healthcare. Even in Koriyama, which is 60 km away from the Fukushima nuclear power plant,       radiation levels were high, especially for the first few weeks. Citizens were advised to stay       at home and keep their doors and windows closed. These drastic measures and frequent       earthquake aftershocks were very stressful, especially for children. To help prevent children       from developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a project team composed of various       groups caring for children was developed, and this team took action to protect children.       Through these efforts we hoped to provide children with an appropriate environment to grow       normally, even in a zone of persistent low-level radiation. We demonstrated once again that       our members' long history of mutual assistance and cooperation with the administration was the       main cornerstone to overcome the crisis.
authors.affiliation: Koriyama City Post-disaster Childcare Project, Fukushima, Japan and Kikuchi Pediatric Clinic, Fukushima, Japan. taro-man@wit.ocn.ne.jp
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
mesh_terms: D004189:Disaster Planning; D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D060447:Emergency Shelter; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000458:organization & administration; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D012066:Relief Work; D012944:Social Support; D012955:Societies, Medical; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000517:prevention & control