Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Natural Disaster”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 667 records · Page 37Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Socio economic crisis and mortality. Epidemiological testimony of the financial collapse of Argentina.

BACKGROUND: Natural disasters, war, and terrorist attacks, have been linked to cardiac mortality. We sought to investigate whether a major financial crisis may impact on the medical management and outcomes of acute coronary syndromes. METHODS: We analyzed the Argentine cohort of the international multicenter Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE). The primary objective was to estimate if there was an association between the financial crisis period (April 1999 to December 2002) and in- hospital cardiovascular mortality, with the post-crisis period (January 2003 to September 2004) as the referent. Each period was defined according to the evolution of the Gross Domestic Product. We investigated the demographic characteristics, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: We analyzed data from 3220 patients, 2246 (69.8%) patients in the crisis period and 974 (30.2%) in the post-crisis frame. The distribution of demographic and clinical baseline characteristics were not significantly different between both periods. During the crisis period the incidence of in-hospital myocardial infarction was higher (6.9% Vs 2.9%; p value < 0.0001), as well as congestive heart failure (16% Vs 11%; p value < 0.0001). Time to intervention with angioplasty was longer during the crisis, especially among public sites (median 190 min Vs 27 min). The incidence proportion of mortality during hospitalization was 6.2% Vs 5.1% after crisis. The crude OR for mortality was 1.2 (95% C.I. 0.87, 1.7). The odds for mortality were higher among private institutions {1.9 (95% C.I. 0.9, 3.8)} than for public centers {1.2 (95% C.I. 0.83, 1.79)}. We did not observe a significant interaction between type of hospital and crisis. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the financial crisis may have had a negative impact on cardiovascular mortality during hospitalization, and higher incidence of medical complications.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Falling towers, crumbling levees, and viral mutations.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed an entire beloved city and shattered a large part of the US Gulf Coast. Unlike the destruction of 9/11, it is difficult to say at the time of this writing whether or not this region will ever be fully restored. In light of these and other man-made and natural disasters, the world needs to revisit its approach to disaster planning and preparedness to insure that we can best meet the needs of those likely to be affected by future calamities.

Disaster Planning↗
PubMed1993

Post-traumatic stress reactions in children after the 1988 Armenian earthquake.

One and a half years after the devastating earthquake in Armenia in 1988, 231 children from three cities at increasing distances from the epicentre were randomly screened in their schools to determine the frequency and severity of post-traumatic stress reactions, using the Children's Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI). A systematic clinical assessment of PTSD based on DSM-III-R criteria was also conducted on approximately half of this sample. A high CPTSD-RI score was strongly correlated with a clinical diagnosis of PTSD. A strong positive correlation was found between proximity to the epicentre and overall severity of post-traumatic stress reaction, as well as severity of core component symptoms of PTSD. High rates of chronic, severe post-traumatic stress reactions were found among children in the two most damaged cities, Spitak and Gumri. Analyses controlling for exposure revealed that girls reported more persistent fears than boys. These findings indicate that after catastrophic natural disaster, post-traumatic reactions in children may reach epidemic proportions, remain high for a prolonged period, and jeopardise the well-being of the child population of a large region. Systematic screening of children for PTSD can provide critical information for a rational public mental health programme after such a disaster.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2004

Stress during pregnancy affects general intellectual and language functioning in human toddlers.

Prenatal maternal stress has been shown to impair functioning in nonhuman primate offspring. Little is known about the effects of prenatal stress on intellectual and language development in humans because it is difficult to identify sufficiently large samples of pregnant women who have been exposed to an independent stressor. We took advantage of a natural disaster (January 1998 ice storm in Québec, Canada) to determine the effect of the objective severity of pregnant women's stress exposure on general intellectual and language development of their children. Bayley Mental Development Index (MDI) scores and parent-reported language abilities of 58 toddlers of mothers who were exposed to varying levels of prenatal stress were obtained at 2 y of age. The hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that the toddlers' birth weight and age at testing accounted for 12.0% and 14.8% of the variance in the Bayley MDI scores and in productive language abilities, respectively. More importantly, the level of prenatal stress exposure accounted for an additional 11.4% and 12.1% of the variance in the toddlers' Bayley MDI and productive language abilities and uniquely accounted for 17.3% of the variance of their receptive language abilities. The more severe the level of prenatal stress exposure, the poorer the toddlers' abilities. The level of prenatal stress exposure accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in the three dependent variables above and beyond that already accounted for by non-ice storm-related factors. We suspect that high levels of prenatal stress exposure, particularly early in the pregnancy, may negatively affect the brain development of the fetus, reflected in the lower general intellectual and language abilities in the toddlers.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed2006

Increased incidence of transient left ventricular apical ballooning (so-called 'Takotsubo' cardiomyopathy) after the mid-Niigata Prefecture earthquake.

BACKGROUND: On October 23, 2004, a major earthquake, which registered 6.8 on the Richter scale, occurred in Niigata Prefecture in Japan. Emotional stress is important as a trigger of transient left ventricular apical ballooning (so-called 'Takotsubo' cardiomyopathy), but its incidence and clinical profile immediately after a natural disaster have not been fully elucidated. METHODS AND RESULTS: 'Takotsubo' cardiomyopathy was diagnosed in 16 patients (1 man, 15 women, mean age 71.5 years) within 1 month after the earthquake. Of them, 13 (81%) lived in areas where the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale registered 6 or above, and 11 (69%) developed symptoms on the day of the earthquake. The incidence of 'Takotsubo' cardiomyopathy 1 month after the earthquake was approximately 24-fold higher near the epicenter than that before the earthquake. CONCLUSION: 'Takotsubo' cardiomyopathy can occur on the day of the earthquake in elderly women living near the epicenter.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2000

Overview of advances in contraception.

For most of man's existence, natural checks on fertility ensured that the numbers of the population more or less matched the resources available. It is only in the last few generations that man has so dominated the natural environment that the numbers of people in the world have increased exponentially, unchecked by natural disasters such as disease and starvation. Coincidental with extended life expectancy, the fertility rate of individual women has increased with the advent of bottle feeding and the decline in the contraceptive effects of breast feeding. Contraception has become increasingly important to individuals, allowing them to break free from the 'burden of excessive fertility'.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors↗
PubMed2005

Did fertility go up after the Oklahoma City bombing? An analysis of births in metropolitan counties in Oklahoma, 1990-1999.

Political and sociocultural events (e.g., Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 and the German reunification in 1989) and natural disasters (e.g., Hurricane Hugo in 1989) can affect fertility. In our research, we addressed the question of whether the Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995, a man-made disaster, influenced fertility patterns in Oklahoma. We defined three theoretical orientations--replacement theory, community influence theory, and terror management theory--that motivate a general expectation of birth increases, with different predictions emerging from time and geographic considerations. We used two different empirical methodologies. First, we fitted dummy-variable regression models to monthly birth data from 1990 to 1999 in metropolitan counties. We used birth counts to frame the problem and general fertility rates to address the problem formally. These analyses were organized within two design structures: a control-group interrupted time-series design and a difference-in-differences design. In these analyses, Oklahoma County showed an interpretable, consistent, and significant increase in births. Second, we used graphical smoothing models to display these effects visually. In combination, these methods provide compelling support for a fertility response to the Oklahoma City bombing. Certain parts of each theory helped us organize and understand the pattern of results.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Preparing for the unknown, responding to the known: communities and public health preparedness.

More than four years after September 11, 2001, bioterrorism preparedness remains a high priority for federal, state, and local governments. With reasonably flexible federal funding, communities have strengthened their ability to respond to public health emergencies, according to assessments by stakeholders and market observers. Collaborative relationships developed for bioterrorism preparedness have proved useful in addressing other threats, such as natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks. Major ongoing challenges include funding constraints, inadequate surge capacity, public health workforce shortages, competing priorities, and jurisdictional issues.

Bioterrorism↗
PubMed2006

Six days in Charity Hospital: two doctors' ordeal in Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans as well as a large section of the Gulf Coastal region of the United States. Herein, we present a first-hand view of physicians who were actually running the hospital of a major medical center during this natural disaster. This event demonstrates the vulnerability of basic human services, including health care even in industrialized, wealthy countries.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Six days in Charity Hospital: two doctors' ordeal in Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans as well as a large section of the Gulf Coastal region of the United States. Herein, we present a first-hand view of physicians who were actually running the hospital of a major medical center during this natural disaster. This event demonstrates the vulnerability of basic human services, including health care even in industrialized, wealthy countries.

Disasters↗
PubMed2006

The dental emergency responder: Expanding the scope of dental practice.

BACKGROUND: Natural disasters, the potential for terrorism and weapons-of-mass-destruction events occurring within the continental United States necessitate that all licensed health care providers understand the National Incident Management System and be able to contribute to inoculation, mass casualty assistance and triage care of the populace. CONCLUSIONS: Health care and political leaders constantly revise "all hazard" response plans, using the available health care assets that local, state and federal agencies bring to emergency events. Illinois Public Act 49-409 modifies the scope of dental practice within Illinois to allow for a dental emergency responder (DER). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The DER is a dentist or dental hygienist "acting within the bounds of his or her license when providing care during a declared local, state or national emergency."

Dentists↗
PubMed2003

Accurate clinical diagnosis of malaria in a postflood epidemic: a field study in Mozambique.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the positive predictive value (PPV) of a clinical diagnosis vs laboratory testing for malaria in a remote field setting following a natural disaster. METHODS: During an observational study, as part of a disaster response in Mozambique, patients were clinically diagnosed and treated for malaria. The population included native tribes in remote areas and displaced persons in refugee camps representing all age groups, male and female. The diagnosis was made if patients exhibited at least 3 of the following historical features: fever, chills, headache, and nausea/vomiting (N/V). In addition they had to have either a tactile fever or palpable spleen. At the conclusion of the mission, 28 patients were prospectively tested with an antigen-capture assay for P. falciparum to determine the PPV of clinical diagnosis vs definitive laboratory testing. RESULTS: During the study period, 1215 of 4064 (30%) patients were diagnosed with malaria based on clinical presentation. On our final day, 28 consecutive patients with a clinical diagnosis of malaria were tested using an antigen-capture assay for P. falciparum. Of those, 25 tested positive-yielding a PPV of 89% (CI 0.78-1.01). CONCLUSION: In a remote field setting where malaria is endemic/epidemic, diagnosis of malaria based on selected historical and physical findings is possible with a high positive predictive value.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Ecosystem approaches to human health.

The promotion of human health must be embedded in the wider pursuit of ecosystem health. Interventions will be impaired if ecosystem-linked determinants of health are not taken into account. In the extreme case, if ecosystems lose their capacity for renewal, society will lose life support services. Essential features of ecosystem health are the capacity to maintain integrity and to achieve reasonable and sustainable human goals. An ecosystem approach to research and management must be transdisciplinary and assure participation of stakeholders. These requisites provide a means for science to better deal with the complexity of ecosystems, and for policy-makers and managers to establish and achieve reasonable societal goals. The ecosystem approach can determine links between human health and activities or events which disturb ecosystem state and function. Examples are: landscape disturbance in agriculture, mining, forestry, urbanization, and natural disasters. An understanding of these links can provide guidance for management interventions and policy options that promote human health. An ecosystem approach to management must be adaptive because of irreducible uncertainty in ecosystem function.

Ecosystem↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Public health in Cuba and its international experience (1959-2005)].

The past 42 years of Cuba's healthcare system have been characterized, among other things, by broad-based international experience and projects, which began in 1962 with the deployment of the first Cuban medical mission to Algeria. Since then, it has collaborated with more than 101 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing aid missions to areas suffering from natural disasters and sending medical staff to regions where they did not exist before. It has also helped some countries draw up medical development plans according to their specific needs. Cooperation with human resource training and development has also been carried out, with the result that hundreds of thousands of youths have been able to start their medical studies in countries all over the Americas and in some nations from Asia and Africa.

Cuba↗
PubMed2000

[Report on a leptospirosis outbreak in the city of Santa Fe, Argentina, March-April 1998].

In March-April 1998 in a neighborhood in the city of Santa Fe, Argentina, there was an outbreak of an acute disease characterized by fever, headaches, and intense myalgias. This article presents the studies surrounding this outbreak and the attempts to identify the source and the mode of transmission. The epidemiological, serological, and clinical findings indicated that the causative agent was Leptospira interrogans. As a screening test, macroscopic agglutination with heat-resistant antigen was applied, followed by the ELISA test, and, as a confirmatory test, microscopic agglutination for 10 serotypes of L. interrogans. The study covered 32 persons, 8 dogs, and 8 water samples. Among the 32 persons, 12 cases were confirmed, 2 were suspicious, and 18 were negative. Six dogs were found to be infected, and motile spirochetes were found in the water samples. The human sera reacted with the ballum, canicola, icterohaemorrhagiae, and pyrogenes serotypes; the canine sera reacted with the ballum, canicola, and pomona serotypes. The coagglutination found in all the confirmed cases indicates that they were acute cases of leptospirosis, but it was impossible to identify the causal serotype. Except for the index case, the disease was not recognized clinically. Several facts suggest that the outbreak was caused by rain that had flooded the study area. The results of this study emphasize the need for active surveillance of leptospirosis when there are floods and other natural disasters.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Nutritional status of children under 5 years of age in three hurricane-affected areas of Honduras.

Hurricanes and other natural disasters can produce crop destruction, population displacement, infrastructure damage, and long-term public health consequences that include increased malnutrition among the affected populations. This paper presents the results of anthropometric measurements taken of 295 children under 5 years of age from three regions of Honduras that were affected by Hurricane Mitch, a major storm that struck Central America in the fall of 1998. The children in our study were sampled in three shelters in the capital city of Tegucigalpa; in the resettlement zone of Nueva Choluteca, Choluteca; and in the small urban area of Catacamas, Olancho. Our data indicated that, in comparison to the period before the hurricane, there was an elevated prevalence of wasting in all three of the study areas, and that there were also high levels of underweight in the Tegucigalpa and Nueva Choluteca study areas. There were statistically significant differences between the mean values of malnutrition indicators for Catacamas and those for the Tegucigalpa and Nueva Choluteca settlements. These differences suggest that resettled families were confronting a nutritional crisis in July and August of 1999, some 9 months after the hurricane struck.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2001

[Earthquakes in El Salvador].

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has 25 years of experience dealing with major natural disasters. This piece provides a preliminary review of the events taking place in the weeks following the major earthquakes in El Salvador on 13 January and 13 February 2001. It also describes the lessons that have been learned over the last 25 years and the impact that the El Salvador earthquakes and other disasters have had on the health of the affected populations. Topics covered include mass-casualties management, communicable diseases, water supply, managing donations and international assistance, damages to the health-facilities infrastructure, mental health, and PAHO's role in disasters.

Communicable Diseases↗
PubMed2002

[Characteristics of the cholera epidemic of 1998 in Ecuador during El Niño].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the outbreak of cholera that occurred in Ecuador in 1998 during the El Nino weather phenomenon, to present data on the resistance of the circulating strains of Vibrio cholerae to antimicrobial drugs, and to describe the preventive measures taken by health authorities in order to reduce the impact of the disease. METHODS: The epidemiological data came from three sources: 1) the registry of the National Bureau of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador, 2) the registry of the National Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and 3) the final report of the Training Program for the Fight against Cholera and Diarrheal Diseases. Isolation, identification, and serotyping was done of V. cholerae in the feces samples from 10% of the suspected cholera cases that were identified between 1 January and 31 December 1998. The suspected cases were defined by the sudden appearance of watery diarrhea, with or without dehydration, in epidemic areas. The strains that were isolated were submitted to a standard antibiogram by the diffusion method, in which the following antibiotics were tested: amoxicillin, tetracycline, trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole, vibriostatic compound O/129, nalidixic acid, erythromycin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, gentamycin, chloramphenicol, and colistin. RESULTS: In 1998 there were 3 755 cases reported in 17 of the 21 provinces of the country. This corresponds to an incidence rate of 53.96 per 100 000 population. Thirty seven patients died, for a case fatality rate of 0.97%. A total of 301 strains of V. cholerae were isolated in the 637 suspected-cholera samples that were processed; all corresponded to V. cholerae O1, El Tor, subtype Ogawa. All of the strains were sensitive to tetracycline and to quinolones; 5.6% of the strains were resistant to erythromycin. The only strain resistant to amoxicillin was multiresistant. Officials in Ecuador implemented a series of preventive measures, and the surveillance system was strengthened in order to reduce the impact of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: The preventive measures helped to reduce the impact of the 1998 cholera epidemic in Ecuador, in terms of both incidence and the case fatality rate. Given the overall sensitivity of the strains to the antimicrobial drugs, there is no reason to change the current treatment regimens in the country. Taking into account the frequency of natural disasters in Ecuador and the relation that they have to the reappearance of cholera, interventions should be designed that make it possible to prevent and control the reappearance of the disease and its spread to the most vulnerable provinces of the central Sierra mountainous region and the eastern part of the country.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗