Neurobiological Stress Markers in Tsunami Survivors: A Commentary

Authors

Doi

Abstract

The Background
On 26 December 2004, an earthquake of surface wave magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale occurred off the West coast of Northern Sumatra. The tsunami hit more than two thirds of Sri Lanka’s coastline, causing catastrophic destruction and loss of lives, with more than 35,000 deaths or missing in Sri Lanka. Government response was quick and the Center for National Operations was put in place within the first week to coordinate the relief work.

In Matara on the southern tip of Sri Lanka, a wave less than 1 metre tall was followed 10 minutes later by a second wave up to 10 metres in height, causing almost 2,000 deaths. (In the aftermath of the tsunami, scientists from diverse disciplines came to conduct research.

The Event
Investigators from a renowned university in a developed country in Asia were collecting blood samples from tsunami survivors living in temporary shelters in the Matara district. The objective of their project was to identify biological markers of stress, using proteomic analysis in the samples collected from these survivors. A local health official, an epidemiologist, confiscated the blood samples as the investigators had failed to produce any document that permitted them to carry out research or collect blood samples in Sri Lanka. The matter was then referred to the Ministry of Health in Colombo.

The investigators did not have a research protocol. They had not sought or received ethical clearance from any of the local ethics committees. They, however, promised to forward a copy of the protocol to the Ministry of Health. During the course of further inquiry, they could not produce any documentary evidence of ethical approval from the sponsoring country either, although they claimed to have such clearance.