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Public Health Impact of Disasters: A Philippine Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2022

Michelle Ann B. EalaOpen the ORCID record for Michelle Ann B. Eala[Opens in a new window],
Janine Patricia G. Robredo,
Edward Christopher Dee and
Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay
Michelle Ann B. Eala*
Affiliation:
College of Medicine, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
Janine Patricia G. Robredo
Affiliation:
School of Medicine and Public Health, Ateneo de Manila University, Pasig City, Philippines
Edward Christopher Dee
Affiliation:
Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay
Affiliation:
University of the Philippines National Institute of Geological Sciences, Quezon City, PhilippinesUniversity of the Philippines Resilience Institute and NOAH Center, Quezon City, Philippines
*
Corresponding author: Michelle Ann B. Eala, E-mail: mbeala1@up.edu.ph.
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Type
Letter to the Editor
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 6 , December 2022, pp. 2250 - 2251
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

We write from the Philippines, a large archipelago along the typhoon belt and Pacific Ring of Fire. On average, the country is visited by 20 typhoons 1 and 200 felt earthquakes yearly, and has over 20 active volcanoes. 2

Disasters damage health infrastructure and prevent access to health facilities due to flooding, debris, and damaged roads. As a result of these, people-centered early warning systems are needed to facilitate timely and effective information dissemination, and knowledge exchange. In the Philippines, the Nationwide Operational

Assessment of Hazards (UP NOAH), and its mobile counterpart, the country’s online hazard assesment website HazardHunterPH, are free and publicly available online tools that allow users to evaluate any area in the country for natural disaster risk (Figure 1). These initiatives empower communities and guide early action and advanced planning.

Figure 1.

UP NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards).

Recent calamities like Typhoon Haiyan also underscored the importance of anticipating and preparing for disaster-related injuries, food- and water-borne diseases, and obstetric emergencies. Reference Barmania3 Health services delivery must be included in disaster preparation and management. Mobile emergency facilities (such as disaster relief tents) must be readily available, and well-equipped referral centers must be identified in advance.

Critically, disasters are associated with multiple health risks that further limit capacity for resilience. Survivors experience physical, psychological, and social consequences, with mental health concerns often outlasting their physical injuries. Reference Hugelius, Gifford and Örtenwall4 Therefore, health must be prioritized even during disaster recovery and rehabilitation, and widespread implementation of the recently passed Mental Health Act and Universal Health Care Act in the Philippines is necessary.

As disasters expose and exacerbate a community’s vulnerabilities, disaster support programs, including those that directly address public health issues, must examine socio-cultural, environmental, and political determinants of disasters to develop grounded interventions and enhance recovery.

Funding statement

Edward Christopher Dee is funded in part through the Cancer Center Support Grant from the National Cancer Institute (P30 CA008748).

Conflicts of interest

All other authors declare no competing interests.

References

Tropical Cyclone Information. PAGASA. Accessed February 4, 2022. https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/climate/tropical-cyclone-information.Google Scholar
Volcanoes of the Philippines. PHIVOLCS. Accessed February 4, 2022. https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/volcano-hazard/volcanoes-of-the-philippines.Google Scholar
Barmania, S. Typhoon Haiyan recovery: progress and challenges. The Lancet. April 2014;383(9924):1197-1199. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60590-0.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hugelius, K, Gifford, M, Örtenwall, P, et al. Health among disaster survivors and health professionals after the Haiyan Typhoon: a self-selected Internet-based web survey. Int J Emerg Med. Dec 2017;10(1):13. doi: 10.1186/s12245-017-0139-6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Figure 0

Figure 1.UP NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards).