Diseases in Disaster: Post-Earthquake Dermatoses, Nepal 2015

Area of Science:

• Disaster medicine
• Dermatology
• Public health

Background:

• Nepal suffered a major 7.8 Richter scale earthquake on April 25, 2015.
• The earthquake's impact extended beyond immediate trauma to include significant indirect health consequences.
• Cutaneous manifestations, both direct and indirect, were observed following the disaster.

Purpose of the Study:

• To audit the dermatological conditions observed in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
• To analyze the prevalence of direct and indirect dermatoses in patients presenting to a tertiary care center.
• To understand the cutaneous burden following a major seismic event.

Main Methods:

• An audit of patients presenting to the dermatology department of a tertiary care center in central Nepal.
• Data collection covered a four-month period following the major earthquake shock.
• Patient records were reviewed to identify dermatoses linked directly or indirectly to the earthquake.

Main Results:

• A total of 7326 patients visited the dermatology department over the four-month period.
• 3833 patients (52.32%) presented with dermatoses that were directly or indirectly related to the earthquake.
• The findings highlight a substantial impact of the earthquake on skin health.

Conclusions:

• The 2015 Nepal earthquake led to a significant number of dermatological cases.
• Over half of the patients seen in dermatology had earthquake-related skin conditions.
• These findings underscore the importance of considering dermatological health in disaster response and recovery efforts.