Dataset Information

Impact of heavy rains of 2018 in western Japan: disaster-induced health outcomes among the population of Innoshima Island.

ABSTRACT: Southwestern Japan suffered its worst rains in 2018 causing floods and mudslides, claiming 225 lives and forcing millions for evacuations. Referred as "Heisei san-j?-nenshichi-gatsug?u", the disaster was the result of incessant precipitation caused by the interaction of typhoon "Prapiroon" with the seasonal rain front "Baiu". The present epidemiological study aims to investigate disaster-induced health issues in 728 residents of Innoshima island in the Hiroshima Prefecture by comparing their clinical data in pre-disaster (2017) and disaster-hit (2018) years which was obtained from annual health screening. Comparison of data showed a significant increase in the urine protein concentration in victims following the disaster. Probing further into the household conditions, showed that a total of 59,844 households were affected with water outage during the heavy rains, which was accompanied by severe damage of sewerage pipelines with complete recovery process taking two weeks. This two weeks of the crisis forced victims to refrain from using restrooms which in turn led to infrequent urination, thereby explaining the increased urine protein concentration in victims following the disaster. The present study addresses the acute health implications caused by the water crisis and serves as a precautionary measure for disaster management council to provide enhanced aftercare services in victims in further events of natural disasters.

SUBMITTER: Bandaru S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7256463 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Impact of heavy rains of 2018 in western Japan: disaster-induced health outcomes among the population of Innoshima Island.

Bandaru Srinivas S Sano Shunji S Shimizu Yurika Y Seki Yuka Y Okano Yoshikazu Y Sasaki Tamaki T Wada Hideho H Otsuki Takemi T Ito Tatsuo T

Heliyon 20200525 5

Southwestern Japan suffered its worst rains in 2018 causing floods and mudslides, claiming 225 lives and forcing millions for evacuations. Referred as "Heisei san-jū-nenshichi-gatsugōu", the disaster was the result of incessant precipitation caused by the interaction of typhoon "Prapiroon" with the seasonal rain front "Baiu". The present epidemiological study aims to investigate disaster-induced health issues in 728 residents of Innoshima island in the Hiroshima Prefecture by comparing their cli ...[more]

PMID: 32490225

Similar Datasets

Project description:IntroductionRainfall-induced floods and landslides accounted for 20.7% of all disaster events in Japan from 1985 through 2018 and caused a variety of health problems, both directly and indirectly, including injuries, infectious diseases, exacerbation of pre-existing medical conditions, and psychological issues. More evidence of health problems caused by floods or heavy rain is needed to improve preparedness and preventive measures; however, collecting health data surrounding disaster events is a major challenge due to environmental hazards, logistical constraints, political and economic issues, difficulties in communication among stakeholders, and cultural barriers. In response to the West Japan Heavy Rain in July 2018, Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) used Japan - Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters (J-SPEED) as a daily reporting template, collecting data on the number and type of patients they treated and sending it to an EMT coordination cell (EMTCC) during the response.Study objectiveThe aim of the study was to conduct a descriptive epidemiology study using J-SPEED data to better understand the health problems during floods and heavy rain disasters.MethodsThe number and types of health problems treated by EMTs in accordance with the J-SPEED (Ver 1.0) form were reported daily by 85 EMTs to an EMTCC, where data were compiled during the West Japan Heavy Rain from July 8 through September 11, 2018. Reported items in the J-SPEED form were analyzed by age, gender, area (prefecture), and time period.ResultsThe analysis of J-SPEED data from the West Japan Heavy Rain 2018 revealed the characteristics of a total of 3,617 consultations with the highest number of consultations (2,579; 71.3%) occurring between Day 5 and Day 12 of the 65-day EMT response. During the response period, skin disease was the most frequently reported health event (17.3%), followed by wounds (14.3%), disaster stress-related symptoms (10.0%), conjunctivitis (6.3%), and acute respiratory infections (ARI; 5.4%).ConclusionDuring the response period, skin disease was the most frequently reported health event, followed by wounds, stress, conjunctivitis, and ARIs. The health impacts of a natural disaster are determined by a variety of factors, and the current study's findings are highly context dependent; however, it is expected that as more data are gathered, the consistency of finding will increase.

Dataset Information

Impact of heavy rains of 2018 in western Japan: disaster-induced health outcomes among the population of Innoshima Island.

Publications

Impact of heavy rains of 2018 in western Japan: disaster-induced health outcomes among the population of Innoshima Island.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets