Chapter 2.2 Measuring the health impacts of disasters
Authors: Law R.
What is this chapter about?
Measuring the health impacts of disasters is a challenge. Indicators and systems are available to help decision-makers characterize the health impacts and risks of emergencies and disasters.
Chapter 2.2 describes common health indicators used to quantify sudden-impact health impacts from disasters caused by natural hazards. It describes surveillance systems that can be used in health emergency and disaster risk management, including the Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters (SPEED) programme in the Philippines.
This chapter aims to increase understanding of the following key factors relating to measuring the health impacts of disasters:
- The importance and relevance of measuring the health impacts of disasters.
- The variety of indicators that characterize the health impacts and risks of emergencies and disasters.
- Systems and methodologies that can be used to measure health impacts.
- Challenges and issues in measuring the health impacts of disasters.
- Strategies to cope with these issues.
Case studies presented in the chapter
- New technologies to detect and track outbreaks: Early Warning, Alert and Response System in Bangladesh.
What are the key messages of this chapter?
- Measuring the health impacts of disasters at health system, population and individual levels is critical in order to enable appropriate and timely public health interventions in emergencies and disasters.
- Various indicators should be measured to characterize the health impacts and risks of emergencies and disasters. Relevant data should be collected and analysed so that it can be used for various purposes and actions before, during and after emergencies and disasters.
- It is crucial to build capabilities for epidemiology, laboratory testing, public health surveillance and information management as part of Health EDRM as these will provide the foundation for accurately measuring health impacts during emergencies and disasters.
- Although the effects of an emergency or disaster may make measuring health impacts particularly difficult, putting in place pre-disaster prevention and preparedness measures, operational readiness, back-up systems and contingency plans can prevent or overcome these obstacles.
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