The health burden of natural and technological disasters in Brazil from 2013 to 2021 / A carga de saúde dos desastres naturais e tecnológicos no Brasil de 2013 a 2021 / La carga sanitaria de los desastres naturales y tecnológicos en Brasil de 2013 a 2021

Disasters deeply impact the health of the affected population and the economy of a country. The health burden of disasters in Brazil is underestimated and more studies are needed to underpin policies and actions for disaster risk reduction. This study analyzes and describes disasters that occurred in Brazil from 2013 to 2021. The Integrated Disaster Information System (S2iD) was accessed to obtain demographic data, disaster data according to Brazilian Classification and Codification of Disasters (COBRADE), and health outcome data (number of dead, injured, sick, unsheltered, displaced, and missing individuals and other outcomes). Database preparation and analysis were performed in Tableau. In total, 98.62% (50,481) of the disasters registered in Brazil from 2013 to 2021 are natural, with a significant increase in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a biological disaster. This disaster group also caused the highest number of deaths (321,111), as well as injured (208,720) and sick (7,041,099) people. By analyzing data for each geographic region, we observed differences regarding disasters frequency and their health outcomes. In Brazil, climatological disasters are the most frequent (23,452 events) and occur mainly in the Northeast region. Geological disasters have the highest lethality, which are more common in the Southeast; however, the most common disasters in the South and Southeast are those of the meteorological and hydrological groups. Therefore, since the greatest health outcomes are associated with disasters predicted in time and space, public policies for the prevention and management of disasters can reduce the impacts of these events.

Desastres afetam profundamente a saúde da população afetada e a economia de um país. A carga de saúde dos desastres no Brasil é subestimada e mais estudos são necessários para fundamentar políticas e ações para a redução do risco de desastres. Este estudo analisa e descreve desastres ocorridos no Brasil entre 2013 e 2021. O Sistema Integrado de Informações sobre Desastres (S2iD) foi acessado para obtenção de dados demográficos, dados de desastres, de acordo com a Classificação e Codificação Brasileira de Desastres (COBRADE), e dados de resultados de saúde (mortos, feridos, doentes, desabrigados, deslocados, desaparecidos e outros afetados). A preparação e a análise do banco de dados foram realizadas no Tableau. O estudo mostra que 98,62% (50.481) dos desastres registrados no Brasil entre 2013 e 2021 foram naturais, com um aumento significativo em 2020 e 2021 por causa da pandemia de COVID-19, que é um desastre biológico. Este grupo de desastres também causou o maior número de mortes (321.111), bem como de feridos (208.720) e doentes (7.041.099). Ao analisar os dados para cada região geográfica, observaram-se diferenças em relação à frequência e aos resultados de saúde dos desastres. Por exemplo, enquanto os desastres climatológicos são os mais frequentes no país (23.452 eventos) e ocorrem principalmente na Região Nordeste, a maior letalidade é observada para desastres geológicos, que são mais comuns no Sudeste. No Sul e Sudeste, os desastres mais comuns são meteorológicos e hidrológicos. Este estudo mostra que os maiores resultados de saúde estão associados a desastres previstos no tempo e no espaço e, portanto, os impactos podem ser reduzidos com políticas públicas de prevenção e gestão de desastres.

Los desastres afectan profundamente la salud de la población y la economía de un país. La carga sanitaria de los desastres en Brasil está subestimada, y se necesitan más estudios para elaborar políticas y acciones para reducir el riesgo de desastres. Este estudio analiza y describe los desastres ocurridos en Brasil entre 2013 y 2021. Del Sistema Integrado de Información de Desastres (S2iD) se recogió datos demográficos, datos de desastres, según la Clasificación y Codificación Brasileña de Desastres (COBRADE), y datos de resultados de salud (muertos, heridos, enfermos, personas sin hogar, desplazados, desaparecidos y otros afectados). La preparación y análisis de los datos se realizó en Tableau. El estudio muestra que ocurrieron el 98,62% (50.481) de los desastres registrados en Brasil entre 2013 y 2021 fueron naturales, con un aumento significativo en 2020 y 2021 a causa de la pandemia del COVID-19, considerada un desastre biológico. Este grupo de desastre también causó el mayor número de muertos (321.111), así como el mayor número de heridos (208.720) y enfermos (7.041.099). Al analizar los datos de cada región del país, se constataron diferencias en cuanto a la frecuencia y los resultados en salud de los desastres. Mientras los desastres climatológicos son los más frecuentes en el país (23.452 eventos) y ocurren principalmente en la región Nordeste, los desastres geológicos frecuentes en el Sudeste son los más letales. En el Sur y Sudeste del país, los desastres más comunes son los meteorológicos e hidrológicos. Este estudio muestra que los mayores resultados en salud se asocian con los desastres previstos en tiempo y espacio, y que los impactos pueden reducirse con las políticas públicas de prevención y gestión de desastres.

The health burden of natural and technological disasters in Brazil from 2013 to 2021 / A carga de saúde dos desastres naturais e tecnológicos no Brasil de 2013 a 2021 / La carga sanitaria de los desastres naturales y tecnológicos en Brasil de 2013 a 2021

Disasters deeply impact the health of the affected population and the economy of a country. The health burden of disasters in Brazil is underestimated and more studies are needed to underpin policies and actions for disaster risk reduction. This study analyzes and describes disasters that occurred in Brazil from 2013 to 2021. The Integrated Disaster Information System (S2iD) was accessed to obtain demographic data, disaster data according to Brazilian Classification and Codification of Disasters (COBRADE), and health outcome data (number of dead, injured, sick, unsheltered, displaced, and missing individuals and other outcomes). Database preparation and analysis were performed in Tableau. In total, 98.62% (50,481) of the disasters registered in Brazil from 2013 to 2021 are natural, with a significant increase in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a biological disaster. This disaster group also caused the highest number of deaths (321,111), as well as injured (208,720) and sick (7,041,099) people. By analyzing data for each geographic region, we observed differences regarding disasters frequency and their health outcomes. In Brazil, climatological disasters are the most frequent (23,452 events) and occur mainly in the Northeast region. Geological disasters have the highest lethality, which are more common in the Southeast; however, the most common disasters in the South and Southeast are those of the meteorological and hydrological groups. Therefore, since the greatest health outcomes are associated with disasters predicted in time and space, public policies for the prevention and management of disasters can reduce the impacts of these events.

Desastres afetam profundamente a saúde da população afetada e a economia de um país. A carga de saúde dos desastres no Brasil é subestimada e mais estudos são necessários para fundamentar políticas e ações para a redução do risco de desastres. Este estudo analisa e descreve desastres ocorridos no Brasil entre 2013 e 2021. O Sistema Integrado de Informações sobre Desastres (S2iD) foi acessado para obtenção de dados demográficos, dados de desastres, de acordo com a Classificação e Codificação Brasileira de Desastres (COBRADE), e dados de resultados de saúde (mortos, feridos, doentes, desabrigados, deslocados, desaparecidos e outros afetados). A preparação e a análise do banco de dados foram realizadas no Tableau. O estudo mostra que 98,62% (50.481) dos desastres registrados no Brasil entre 2013 e 2021 foram naturais, com um aumento significativo em 2020 e 2021 por causa da pandemia de COVID-19, que é um desastre biológico. Este grupo de desastres também causou o maior número de mortes (321.111), bem como de feridos (208.720) e doentes (7.041.099). Ao analisar os dados para cada região geográfica, observaram-se diferenças em relação à frequência e aos resultados de saúde dos desastres. Por exemplo, enquanto os desastres climatológicos são os mais frequentes no país (23.452 eventos) e ocorrem principalmente na Região Nordeste, a maior letalidade é observada para desastres geológicos, que são mais comuns no Sudeste. No Sul e Sudeste, os desastres mais comuns são meteorológicos e hidrológicos. Este estudo mostra que os maiores resultados de saúde estão associados a desastres previstos no tempo e no espaço e, portanto, os impactos podem ser reduzidos com políticas públicas de prevenção e gestão de desastres.

Los desastres afectan profundamente la salud de la población y la economía de un país. La carga sanitaria de los desastres en Brasil está subestimada, y se necesitan más estudios para elaborar políticas y acciones para reducir el riesgo de desastres. Este estudio analiza y describe los desastres ocurridos en Brasil entre 2013 y 2021. Del Sistema Integrado de Información de Desastres (S2iD) se recogió datos demográficos, datos de desastres, según la Clasificación y Codificación Brasileña de Desastres (COBRADE), y datos de resultados de salud (muertos, heridos, enfermos, personas sin hogar, desplazados, desaparecidos y otros afectados). La preparación y análisis de los datos se realizó en Tableau. El estudio muestra que ocurrieron el 98,62% (50.481) de los desastres registrados en Brasil entre 2013 y 2021 fueron naturales, con un aumento significativo en 2020 y 2021 a causa de la pandemia del COVID-19, considerada un desastre biológico. Este grupo de desastre también causó el mayor número de muertos (321.111), así como el mayor número de heridos (208.720) y enfermos (7.041.099). Al analizar los datos de cada región del país, se constataron diferencias en cuanto a la frecuencia y los resultados en salud de los desastres. Mientras los desastres climatológicos son los más frecuentes en el país (23.452 eventos) y ocurren principalmente en la región Nordeste, los desastres geológicos frecuentes en el Sudeste son los más letales. En el Sur y Sudeste del país, los desastres más comunes son los meteorológicos e hidrológicos. Este estudio muestra que los mayores resultados en salud se asocian con los desastres previstos en tiempo y espacio, y que los impactos pueden reducirse con las políticas públicas de prevención y gestión de desastres.

A systematic analysis of worldwide disasters, epidemics and pandemics associated mortality of 210 countries for 15 years (2001-2015).

In recent years, the unprecedented death tolls resulting from epidemics and natural disasters made everyone interested, from the general public to country heads, to know about the mortality rates. The coronavirus issue is the most recent example all over the media, and everyone is talking about corona-induced mortality. The study aimed to estimate the disaster-induced mortality rates at the global level for two hundred and ten countries for fifteen years (2001-2015). Using a retrospective study design, we extracted datasets from two data sources, EM-DAT and UNFPA, in October 2019. The cut-off time for the data download was midnight Central European Time, October 17, 2019. The most noticeable finding in this study is that, against the common prevailing notion, both developed and developing countries equally carry the brunt of disaster-induced mortality. This study proposes empirical confirmation of the direction and magnitude of any year-over-year correlation of disaster and mortality rates. Furthermore, the analysis of the trend in mortality rate over the past fifteen years concludes it is not linear. However, there are huge variations across the years and the countries. The study is of paramount importance to initiate a debate amongst the concerned policymakers and stakeholders to regularly monitor the disaster-induced mortality rates. So that effective interventions can be devised to decrease the mortality rates.

Prevalence of metal levels above the reference values in a municipality affected by the collapse of a mining tailings dam: Brumadinho Health Project / Prevalência dos níveis de metais acima dos valores de referência em município atingido pelo rompimento de barragem de rejeitos da mineração: Projeto Saúde Brumadinho

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the prevalence of levels of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead and manganese above the reference values (RV) in the population of Brumadinho, after the rupture of the mining tailings dam and to verify the factors associated with these levels. Methods: Baseline study of a prospective cohort, in a representative sample of 3,080 residents (aged 12 and over) in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais. Exploratory variables (age, sex, skin color, household income, smoking and place of residence) were collected using a questionnaire and the levels of As, Cd and Hg in urine and Pb and Mn in blood were evaluated using the technique of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The distribution of prevalence of levels above the reference for metals was made, according to the exploratory variables. Multiple logistic regression analyzes were used to investigate the association between altered levels of metals and characteristics evaluated. Results: Concentrations above RV were found in 38.08% of the population for Mn, 33.37% for As, 5.04% for Pb, 0.76% for Hg and 0.17% for Cd. There was a significant association between age group and levels of Mn and Pb; and between place of residence and As level. Conclusion: The results show a high prevalence of levels above the reference for Mn, As and Pb, with small differences in relation to the other variables, suggesting that it is an exposure distributed throughout the municipality.

RESUMO Objetivo: Descrever a prevalência dos níveis dos metais arsênio, cádmio, mercúrio, chumbo e manganês acima dos valores de referência (VR) na população de Brumadinho, após o rompimento da barragem de rejeitos de mineração, e verificar os fatores associados a esses níveis. Métodos: Estudo da linha de base de uma coorte prospectiva, em amostra representativa de 3.080 residentes (12 anos ou mais de idade) de Brumadinho, Minas Gerais. As variáveis exploratórias (idade, sexo, cor de pele, renda domiciliar, tabagismo e local de residência) foram coletadas por questionário, e os níveis de As, Cd e Hg na urina e de Pb e Mn no sangue foram avaliados pela técnica de espectrometria de massa com plasma indutivamente acoplado. Fez-se a distribuição das prevalências de níveis acima da referência para os metais, segundo as variáveis exploratórias. Análises de regressão logística múltipla foram utilizadas para averiguar associação entre os níveis alterados de metais e as características avaliadas. Resultados: Encontraram-se concentrações acima do VR em 38,08% da população para Mn, 33,37% para As, 5,04% para Pb, 0,76% para Hg e 0,17% para Cd. Houve associação significativa entre a faixa etária e os níveis de Mn e Pb; e entre o local de residência e o nível de As. Conclusão: Os resultados demonstram elevada prevalência de níveis acima da referência para Mn, As e Pb, com pequenas diferenças em relação às demais variáveis, sugerindo se tratar de uma exposição distribuída em todo o município.

Brumadinho Health Project: methodological aspects and epidemiological profile of participants in the cohort baseline / Projeto Saúde Brumadinho: aspectos metodológicos e perfil epidemiológico dos participantes da linha de base da coorte

ABSTRACT: Objective: To present the methodological aspects of the Brumadinho Health Project and to describe the epidemiological profile of participants in the baseline cohort. Methods: Prospective, population-based cohort study in a representative sample of residents (aged 12 and over) of Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, after a mining tailings dam failure. Information for the baseline was collected in 2021, two years after the mining tailings dam collapsed, including sociodemographic, health and service use aspects, among others. Prevalence estimates of health outcomes were described in Brumadinho, as well as in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte and Minas Gerais, using data from the 2019 National Health Survey. All analyses were performed in the software Stata 17.0, considering the sampling weights and design effect. Results: 3,080 (86.4%) residents participated in the study, most of them being females (56.7%) and with a mean age of 46.1 years. The diseases more frequently reported were arterial hypertension (30.1%), high cholesterol (23.1%) and depression (22.5%), similarly to what was observed in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte and Minas Gerais, although the prevalence in Brumadinho was higher. At least one medical appointment and one hospitalization occurred in 75.2% and 9.4% of residents in the past year, respectively. Conclusion: It is important to monitor health, physical and mental conditions of residents after the occurrence of a disaster of this magnitude. This information can contribute with risk management of these processes, not only in the affected municipality, but also in other areas where populations are at risk of major disasters.

RESUMO: Objetivo: Apresentar os aspectos metodológicos do Projeto Saúde Brumadinho e descrever o perfil epidemiológico dos participantes da linha de base da coorte. Métodos: Coorte prospectiva, de base populacional, em amostra representativa dos residentes (12 anos ou mais de idade) de Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, após rompimento de barragem de rejeitos de mineração. As informações para a linha de base foram coletadas em 2021, dois anos após o rompimento da barragem de rejeitos de mineração, incluindo aspectos sociodemográficos, de saúde, uso de serviços, entre outros. Foram descritas prevalências de desfechos em saúde em Brumadinho, bem como na região metropolitana de Belo Horizonte e em Minas Gerais, utilizando os dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde de 2019. Todas as análises foram realizadas no Stata 17.0, considerando-se os pesos amostrais e o efeito de delineamento. Resultados: Participaram 3.080 (86,4%) moradores, sendo a maioria do sexo feminino (56,7%) e com média de idade de 46,1 anos. As doenças referidas mais frequentes foram hipertensão arterial (30,1%), colesterol alto (23,1%) e depressão (22,5%). Pelo menos uma consulta médica e uma hospitalização no último ano ocorreram em 75,2% e 9,4% dos entrevistados, respectivamente. Conclusão: É importante o monitoramento das condições de saúde, físicas e mentais, após ocorrência de um desastre dessa magnitude. Esse conhecimento poderá contribuir para a gestão de risco desses processos não só no município atingido, mas em outras áreas nas quais as populações estão sob risco de grandes desastres.

Paramedic Disaster Health Management Competencies: A Scoping Review.

INTRODUCTION: Paramedics are tasked with providing 24/7 prehospital emergency care to the community. As part of this role, they are also responsible for providing emergency care in the event of a major incident or disaster. They play a major role in the response stage of such events, both domestic and international. Despite this, specific standardized training in disaster management appears to be variable and inconsistent throughout the profession. A suggested method of building disaster response capacities is through competency-based education (CBE). Core competencies can provide the fundamental basis of collective learning and help ensure consistent application and translation of knowledge into practice. These competencies are often organized into domains, or categories of learning outcomes, as defined by Blooms taxonomy of learning domains. It is these domains of competency, as they relate to paramedic disaster response, that are the subject of this review. METHODS: The methodology for this paper to identify existing paramedic disaster response competency domains was adapted from the guidance for the development of systematic scoping reviews, using a methodology developed by members of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI; Adelaide, South Australia) and members of five Joanna Briggs Collaborating Centres. RESULTS: The literature search identified six articles for review that reported on paramedic disaster response competency domains. The results were divided into two groups: (1) General Core Competency Domains, which are suitable for all paramedics (both Advanced Life Support [ALS] and Basic Life Support [BLS]) who respond to any disaster or major incident; and (2) Specialist Core Competencies, which are deemed necessary competencies to enable a response to certain types of disaster. Further review then showed that three separate and discrete types of competency domains exits in the literature: (1) Core Competencies, (2) Technical/Clinical Competencies, and (3) Specialist Technical/Clinical Competencies. CONCLUSIONS: The most common domains of core competencies for paramedic first responders to manage major incidents and disasters described in the literature were identified. If it's accepted that training paramedics in disaster response is an essential part of preparedness within the disaster management cycle, then by including these competency domains into the curriculum development of localized disaster training programs, it will better prepare the paramedic workforce's competence and ability to effectively respond to disasters and major incidents.

Long-term effect of arsenic exposure: Results from an occupational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In 1976 in Manfredonia (Italy), arsenic was released into the atmosphere due to an accident in a petrochemical plant. We aimed to analyze the mortality of workers involved in the factory for the site cleaning activities. METHODS: The cohort consisted of 1467 workers grouped into contract, fertilizer, and plastic workers. The outcome of interest was mortality for specific causes. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were computed. RESULTS: For all workers and all causes of death combined, the SMR was less than 1.0. Mortality ratios were increased for malignant neoplasms of the pleura, bone and melanoma of the skin. Contract workers, the group mostly exposed to arsenic, showed statistically significant SMRs for several malignancies, in particular for lung cancer (SMR = 1.26; 95%CI: 1.05-1.54). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results reported here on mortality among persons occupationally exposed to arsenic are consistent with the literature and biologically plausible.

Seven Decades of Disasters: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

IntroductionThe impact of disasters and large-scale crises continues to increase around the world. To mitigate the potential disasters that confront humanity in the new millennium, an evidence-informed approach to disaster management is needed. This study provides the platform for such an evidence-informed approach by identifying peer-reviewed disaster management publications from 1947 through July 2017. METHODS: Peer-reviewed disaster management publications were identified using a comprehensive search of: MEDLINE (US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, Maryland USA); CINAHL (EBSCO Information Services; Ipswich, Massachusetts USA); EMBASE (Elsevier; Amsterdam, Netherlands); PsychInfo (American Psychological Association; Washington DC, USA); and the Cochrane Library (The Cochrane Collaboration; Oxford, United Kingdom). RESULTS: A total of 9,433 publications were identified. The publications were overwhelmingly descriptive (74%) while 18% of publications reported the use of a quantitative methodology and eight percent used qualitative methodologies. Only eight percent of these publications were classified as being high-level evidence. The publications were published in 918 multi-disciplinary journals. The journal Prehospital and Disaster Medicine (World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine; Madison, Wisconsin USA) published the greatest number of disaster-management-related publications (9%). Hurricane Katrina (2005; Gulf Coast USA) had the greatest number of disaster-specific publications, followed by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks (New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania USA). Publications reporting on the application of objective evaluation tools or frameworks were growing in number. CONCLUSION: The "science" of disaster management is spread across more than 900 different multi-disciplinary journals. The existing evidence-base is overwhelmingly descriptive and lacking in objective, post-disaster evaluations. SmithEC, BurkleFMJr, AitkenP, LeggattP. Seven decades of disasters: a systematic review of the literature. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(4):418-423.

Characterization of Interventional Studies of the Cholera Epidemic in Haiti.

In October 2010, the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP; Port au Prince, Haiti) reported a cholera epidemic caused by contamination of the Artibonite River by a United Nation Stabilization Mission camp. Interventional studies of the subsequent responses, including a descriptive Methods section and systematic approach, may be useful in facilitating comparisons and applying lessons learned to future outbreaks. The purpose of this study was to examine publicly available documents relating to the 2010 cholera outbreak to answer: (1) What information is publicly available on interventional studies conducted during the epidemic, and what was/were the impact(s)? and (2) Can the interventions be compared, and what lessons can be learned from their comparison? A PubMed (National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, Maryland USA) search was conducted using the parameters "Haiti" and "cholera." Studies were categorized as "interventional research," "epidemiological research," or "other." A distinction was made between studies and narrative reports. The PubMed search yielded 171 papers, 59 (34.0%) of which were epidemiological and 12 (7.0%) were interventional studies. The remaining 100 papers (59.0%) comprised largely of narrative, anecdotal descriptions. An expanded examination of publications by the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland), the Center for Research in the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED; Brussels, Belgium), United States Agency for International Development (USAID; Washington, DC USA)-Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC), and US National Library of Medicine's (NLM; Bethesda, Maryland USA) Disaster Literature databases yielded no additional interventional studies. The unstructured formats and differing levels of detail prohibited comparisons between interventions, even between those with a similar approach. Only two (17.0%) interventional studies included any impact data, although neither commented whether the intervention improved health or reduced incidence or mortality related to cholera. Agreed frameworks for guiding responses and subsequent reporting are needed to ensure reports contain sufficient detail to draw conclusions for the definition of best practices and for the design of future interventions. Miller J , Birnbaum ML . Characterization of interventional studies of the cholera epidemic in Haiti. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(2):176-181.

Research and Evaluations of the Health Aspects of Disasters, Part V: Epidemiological Disaster Research.

Studies of the health aspect of disasters focus either on the epidemiology of disasters to define the causes and the progression from a hazard to a disaster, or the evaluations of interventions provided during any phase of a disaster. Epidemiological disaster research studies are undertaken for the purposes of: (1) understanding the mechanisms by which hazards evolve into a disaster; (2) determining ways to mitigate the risk(s) that a specific hazard will progress into a disaster; (3) predicting the likely damages and needs of the population-at-risk for an event; and (4) identifying potential measures to increase the resilience of a community to future events. Epidemiological disaster research utilizes the Conceptual, Temporal, and Societal Frameworks to define what occurs when a hazard manifests as an event that causes a disaster. The findings from such studies should suggest interventions that could augment the absorbing, buffering, or/and response capacities to lessen the probability of similar damages occurring from the next event. Ultimately, the use of these Frameworks in studying the health aspects of a disaster will help define what to expect in a specific setting and the standards and best practices upon which education, training, competencies, performance, and professionalization will be built.