title: Post-disaster medical rescue strategy in tropical regions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Earthquakes, floods, droughts, storms, mudslides, landslides, and forest wild fires are serious threats to human lives and properties. The present study aimed to study the environmental characteristics and pathogenic traits, recapitulate experiences, and augment applications of medical reliefs in tropical regions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis was made on work and projects of emergency medical rescue, based on information and data collected from 3 emergency medical rescue missions of China International Search and Rescue Team to overseas earthquakes and tsunamis aftermaths in tropical disaster regions - Indonesia-Aceh, Indonesia-Yogyakarta, and Haiti-Port au Prince.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Shock, infection and heat stroke were frequently encountered in addition to outbreaks of infectious diseases, skin diseases, and diarrhea during post-disaster emergency medical rescue in tropical regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High temperature, high humidity, and proliferation of microorganisms and parasites are the characteristics of tropical climate that impose strict requirements on the preparation of rescue work including selective team members suitable for a particular rescue mission and the provisioning of medical equipment and life support materials. The overseas rescue mission itself needs a scientific, efficient, simple workflow for providing efficient emergency medical assistance. Since shock and infection are major tasks in post-disaster treatment of severely injured victims in tropical regions, the prevention and diagnosis of hyperthermia, insect-borne infectious diseases, tropic skin diseases, infectious diarrhea, and pest harms of disaster victims and rescue team staff should be emphasized during the rescue operations.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, General Hospital of Armed Police Forces of P. R. C., Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Xiang-Hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, General Hospital of Armed Police Forces of P. R. C., Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Shi-Ke
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, General Hospital of Armed Police Forces of P. R. C., Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Chen
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, General Hospital of Armed Police Forces of P. R. C., Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Hao-Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, General Hospital of Armed Police Forces of P. R. C., Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Qi
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Song
keywords: Disasters; Earthquake; Emergency medical rescue; Tropical regions