Highlights
- Children, particularly children with special healthcare needs, are especially vulnerable during disasters.
- CDC is committed to the needs of children in a disaster.
- The CDC's Children's Preparedness Unit (CPU) works to protect children before, during, and after an emergency.
- CPU ensures children's needs are included at every level of emergency planning.
Overview
Public health emergencies such as natural disasters, disease outbreaks, or terrorist attacks, can happen anywhere and at any time.
Children, particularly children with special healthcare needs, are especially vulnerable during disasters. Disasters affect children differently than adults.
Communities may face challenges protecting children during emergencies because of economic, geographic, or racial/ethnic disparities. Rural communities may have fewer emergency responders, shelters, health facilities or equipment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is committed to addressing the needs of children in a disaster by including children’s needs in federal, state, and local levels of planning for public health emergencies.
What CDC is doing
Protecting children today
In 2012, CDC established the Children's Preparedness Unit (CPU). CPU and its partners work to protect children before, during, and after an emergency. The team includes pediatricians, behavioral scientists, child psychologists, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, and a dedicated health communications team focused on pediatric preparedness.
CPU ensures children's needs are included at every level of emergency planning. The unit has a strong track record of working with external groups and internal CDC partners in environmental health, infectious diseases, injury prevention, school health, and global health.
Emergency planning
Including children’s health needs
Children require special attention in all areas of public health response planning for emergencies. This includes evacuation, safe sheltering, reunification, and clean-up of dangerous and toxic substances.
Train emergency responders to understand children’s needs and vulnerabilities. Emergency responders trained to focus on children will make sure children’s needs are not overlooked in an emergency.
Establish connections between emergency response planners and medical professionals. They need to understand the roles that children’s hospitals and healthcare providers play in a health emergency. It is critical that they work together with families to successfully protect children in emergencies.
Future planning
CDC opportunities
Lead tabletop practice exercises that simulate a natural disaster, infectious disease outbreak, or terrorist attack, and focus on children's needs. This can help CDC establish connections and strengthen communications within and across communities.
Share recommendations with medical providers to improve treatment for children during and after emergencies. CDC can collaborate to develop guidance for healthcare professionals on treating children in different emergencies.
Develop messaging for caregivers to talk to children about staying safe in an emergency.
CDC and CPU emergency responses
- 2020: COVID-19
- 2019: Outbreak of e-cigarette vaping, product use-associated lung injury
- 2018: Hurricanes Florence and Michael
- 2017: Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria
- 2016: Hurricane Matthew
- 2015–2017: Zika virus
- 2016: Flint, MI water contamination
- 2014–2015: Ebola virus
- 2014: Unaccompanied minor
CPU external partners
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- U.S. Department of Education (ED)
- Administration for Children & Families (ACF)
- Childcare Aware of America (CCAA)
- Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC)
- Save the Children (STC)
- Children's Health and Human Services (HHS) Interagency Leadership on Disasters Working Group and Subcommittee on Children with Special Healthcare Needs
- National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters
- Pediatric and Obstetric Integrated Program Team
- Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs)
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
- The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Resources
Bartenfeld M, Peacock G, Griese S. Public Health Emergency Planning for Children in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Disasters. Biosecur Bioterror. 2014 Jul-Aug;12(4):201-207. DOI: 10.1089/bsp.2014.0036.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pediatrics and Public Health: Working Together to Prepare for Emergencies. Public Health Matters Blog. 2017.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Planning for Kids: Preparedness and Pediatrics. Public Health Matters Blog. 2016.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Zika Virus Response Planning: Interim Guidance for District and School Administrators in the Continental United States and Hawaii.
Franks JL. The Importance of Including Children in Emergency Preparedness. Child Care Aware of America. 2017.
Goodman AB, Dziuban EJ, Powell K, Bitsko BH, Langley G, Lindsey N, Franks JL, Russell K, Dasgupta S, Barfield WD, Odom E, Kahn E, Martin S, Fischer M, Staples JE. Characteristics of Children Aged <18 Years with Zika Virus Disease Acquired Postnatally — U.S. States, January 2015–July 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65:1082-1085. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6539e2.
Dziuban EJ, Peacock G, Frogel M. A Child's Health is the Public's Health: Progress and Gaps in Addressing Pediatric Needs in Public Health Emergencies. Am J Public Health. 2017;107:S134–S137. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303950