Epidemics control and logistics operations: A review

Outbreaks of epidemics account for a great number of deaths. Communicable or infectious diseases are also a major cause of mortality in the aftermath of natural or man-made disasters. Effective control of an epidemic outbreak calls for a rapid response. Available resources such as essential medical supplies and well-trained personnel need to be deployed rapidly and to be managed in conjunction with available information and financial resources in order to contain the epidemic before it reaches uncontrollable or disastrous proportions. Therefore, the establishment and management of an emergency supply chain during the containment effort are of paramount importance. This paper focuses on defining the role of logistics operations and their management that may assist the control of epidemic outbreaks, critically reviewing existing literature and pinpointing gaps. Through the analysis of the selected literature a series of insights are derived and several future research directions are proposed. In conclusion, this paper provides both academics and practitioners with an overview of literature on epidemics control and logistics operations aiming at stimulating further interest in the area of epidemics control supply chain management. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.