Epidemiology of Sudden Onset Disasters

Question 1

Background on disasters:

Answer 1

*Small contributor to the global burden of injury but they receive a lot of media attention
*Artificial distinction between natural and man-made but they are all human made disasters
*Although there is a lot of public attention regarding injuries after diseases the actual main threat to health is mass movement of people

Question 2

What is formability?

Answer 2

*how we adapt / approach/ prepare for these disasters
It’s important to think about how and where people are forced to live
*If they live in very poorly constructed houses, they are more likely to be affected by an earthquake
*If they live close to the seafront, they are more likely to be affected by Tsunami’s

Question 3

Stats on disasters

Answer 3

*In the last ¼ of the 20th century there have been 3 million deaths and 1 billion people affected by disasters
*There around 250,000 deaths per yr.
*It seems there is an increasing incidence
*It’s estimated that by 2100 17 of 23 cities with >10million inhabitants will be within at-risk zones