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[Mortality and morbidity from disasters in Spain].
Pedro Arcos González1, Jorge Pérez-Berrocal Alonso, Rafael Castro Delgado
1Unidad de Investigación en Emergencias y Desastres (UIED), Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Oviedo, España. arcos@uniovi.es
Gaceta Sanitaria
|January 3, 2007
Summary
Disaster frequency in Spain has increased, with technological events like traffic accidents being more common than natural disasters such as floods. This trend highlights a growing risk from technological incidents.
Area of Science:
- Disaster epidemiology
- Public health
- Risk assessment
Context:
- Spain experienced a significant increase in disaster frequency between 1950 and 2005.
- Disasters were defined using the UN criteria: >15 deaths and/or >50 wounded, excluding epidemics and environmental events.
Purpose:
- To analyze disaster patterns in Spain from 1950 to 2005.
- To evaluate the impact of disasters on public health, specifically morbidity and mortality.
Summary:
- Spain exhibits a mixed disaster pattern, with technological disasters occurring 4.5 times more frequently than natural disasters.
- Flooding is the most common natural disaster, while traffic accidents are the most frequent technological disaster.
- Disaster frequency has risen, particularly in the last four decades, with a bimodal distribution across the year and significant geographical variations.
Impact:
- Understanding disaster patterns is crucial for developing targeted prevention and mitigation strategies.
- The study underscores the need for improved public health preparedness for both natural and technological disasters in Spain.
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