The health burden of natural and technological disasters in Brazil from 2013 to 2021

Bibliographic Data

ID5166651
AuthorsAbner Willian Quintino De Freitas (0000-0003-2913-7046, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre), Regina Rigatto Witt (0000-0002-3893-2829, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Ana Beatriz Gorini Da Veiga (0000-0003-1462-5506, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre)
Year2023
Volume39
Issue4
Pagese00154922-e00154922
Publication date2023-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCadernos de Saude Publica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0102-311X • E-ISSN: 1678-4464
PublisherFapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1590/0102-311xen154922
PMID37075339
OpenAlexW4366213673
SCIELO_PIDS0102-311X2023000405001
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited18

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

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disease · Environmental health · Geography · Natural disaster · Pandemic · Population · Public health · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Disaster Management and Resilience · Disaster Response and Management · Medicine · Tailings Management and Properties