The health burden of natural and technological disasters in Brazil from 2013 to 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 i...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Willian Quintino de Freitas, Abner, Rigatto Witt, Regina, Beatriz Gorini da Veiga, Ana
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:Brasil
Institución:Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)
Repositorio:Cadernos de Saúde Pública
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.teste-cadernos.ensp.fiocruz.br:article/8236
Acceso en línea:https://cadernos.ensp.fiocruz.br/ojs/index.php/csp/article/view/8236
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Desastres Naturais
Desastres Tecnológicos
Epidemiologia de Desastres
Desastres Naturales
Epidemiología de Desastres
Natural Disasters
Technological Disasters
Epidemiology of Disasters
Descripción
Sumario: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.