Although we agree with the authors that media reports are often exaggerated and that the risk for epidemics after certain types of natural disasters (e.g., volcanic eruption) is low, we believe the findings are somewhat misleading. Postdisaster communicable disease incidence is related more closely to the characteristics of the displaced population (size, health status, living conditions) than to the precipitating event.

    John Watson,  Michelle Gayer, and Maire A. Connolly

    World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

    Watson J, Gayer M, Connolly MA. Epidemic risk after disasters [letter]. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2006 Sep [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no09/06-0500.htm

    References

    Floret N, Viel JF, Hoen B, Piarroux R. Negligible risk for epidemics after geophysical disasters. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12:543–8.

    Toole MJ. Communicable diseases and disease control. In: Noji ED, editor. Public health consequences of disasters. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1997.

    The Sphere project. Humanitarian charter and minimum standards in disaster response. Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response. Oxford: Oxford Publishing; 2004.

    World Health Organization. Flooding and communicable diseases fact sheet: risk assessment and preventive measures. [cited 2006 Jun 15]. http://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/ems/flood_cds/en/

    Ahern M, Kovats RS, Wilkinson P, Few R, Matthies F. Global health impacts of floods: epidemiologic evidence. Epidemiol Rev. 2005;27:36–46.

    Shultz JM, Russell J, Espinel Z. Epidemiology of tropical cyclones: the dynamics of disaster, disease, and development. Epidemiol Rev. 2005;27:21–35.

查询更多Epidemic相关信息在本站>>

《传染病的形成》2006年9月第12卷第9期