Epidemiological Characteristics of Lower Extremity Cellulitis after a Typhoon Flood

Lin, Pei‐Chen; Lin, Hung Jung; Guo, How‐Ran; Chen, Kuo Tai

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065655

Cited by 15 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…This is consistent with previous studies which found that inflammatory skin diseases, skin infections, traumatic skin diseases, insect bite reactions, and psycho-emotional aggravated primary skin diseases were common problems during floods. 12,13 Although the J-SPEED data don't allow to specify the exact type of skin diseases, it can still be suggested that skin disease is a common health problem not only in developing countries, but also in developed countries during heavy rain disasters. The current findings also revealed that skin disease is most common among children aged 0-8 years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergency Medical Teams’ Responses during the West Japan Heavy Rain 2018: J-SPEED Data Analysis

Chimed‐Ochir

Yumiya

Taji

et al. 2022

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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Introduction: Rainfall-induced floods and landslides accounted for 20.7% of all disaster events in Japan from 1985 through 2018 and caused a variety of health problems, both directly and indirectly, including injuries, infectious diseases, exacerbation of pre-existing medical conditions, and psychological issues. More evidence of health problems caused by floods or heavy rain is needed to improve preparedness and preventive measures; however, collecting health data surrounding disaster events is a major challenge due to environmental hazards, logistical constraints, political and economic issues, difficulties in communication among stakeholders, and cultural barriers. In response to the West Japan Heavy Rain in July 2018, Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) used Japan - Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters (J-SPEED) as a daily reporting template, collecting data on the number and type of patients they treated and sending it to an EMT coordination cell (EMTCC) during the response. Study Objective: The aim of the study was to conduct a descriptive epidemiology study using J-SPEED data to better understand the health problems during floods and heavy rain disasters. Methods: The number and types of health problems treated by EMTs in accordance with the J-SPEED (Ver 1.0) form were reported daily by 85 EMTs to an EMTCC, where data were compiled during the West Japan Heavy Rain from July 8 through September 11, 2018. Reported items in the J-SPEED form were analyzed by age, gender, area (prefecture), and time period. Results: The analysis of J-SPEED data from the West Japan Heavy Rain 2018 revealed the characteristics of a total of 3,617 consultations with the highest number of consultations (2,579; 71.3%) occurring between Day 5 and Day 12 of the 65-day EMT response. During the response period, skin disease was the most frequently reported health event (17.3%), followed by wounds (14.3%), disaster stress-related symptoms (10.0%), conjunctivitis (6.3%), and acute respiratory infections (ARI; 5.4%). Conclusion: During the response period, skin disease was the most frequently reported health event, followed by wounds, stress, conjunctivitis, and ARIs. The health impacts of a natural disaster are determined by a variety of factors, and the current study’s findings are highly context dependent; however, it is expected that as more data are gathered, the consistency of finding will increase.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergency Medical Teams’ Responses during the West Japan Heavy Rain 2018: J-SPEED Data Analysis

Chimed‐Ochir

Yumiya

Taji

et al. 2022

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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“…94 Treatment Facility Presentations (%) Survey Responses (%) a Significant increases in impetigo, conjunctivitis, and cellulitis at treatment facilities were reported in the first two weeks after storms, 74,87 and the number of lower extremity cellulitis cases receiving treatment at ECFs increased during the first week after landfall (RR: 2.8; 95% CI, 2.0-2.4) compared to the control period. 95 However, one island-wide surveillance study of all treatment facilities found no increase in visits for skin infections in the week after a cyclone. 87 Eighteen cases of wound-associated Vibrio illness, linked to a hurricane, also were identified two weeks after landfall.…”

Section: Infectious and Parasitic Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

No Calm After the Storm: A Systematic Review of Human Health Following Flood and Storm Disasters

Saulnier

Ribacke

Schreeb

2017

Prehosp. Disaster med.

122

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Introduction: How the burden of disease varies during different phases after floods and after storms is essential in order to guide a medical response, but it has not been well-described. The objective of this review was to elucidate the health problems following flood and storm disasters. Methods: A literature search of the databases Medline (US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, Maryland USA); Cinahl (EBSCO Information Services; Ipswich, Massachusetts USA); Global Health (EBSCO Information Services; Ipswich, Massachusetts USA); Web of Science Core Collection (Thomson Reuters; New York, New York USA); Embase (Elsevier; Amsterdam, Netherlands); and PubMed (National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, Maryland USA) was conducted in June 2015 for English-language research articles on morbidity or mortality and flood or storm disasters. Articles on mental health, interventions, and rescue or health care workers were excluded. Data were extracted from articles that met the eligibility criteria and analyzed by narrative synthesis. Results: The review included 113 studies. Poisonings, wounds, gastrointestinal infections, and skin or soft tissue infections all increased after storms. Gastrointestinal infections were more frequent after floods. Leptospirosis and diabetes-related complications increased after both. The majority of changes occurred within four weeks of floods or storms. Conclusion: Health changes differently after floods and after storms. There is a lack of data on the health effects of floods alone, long-term changes in health, and the strength of the association between disasters and health problems. This review highlights areas of consideration for medical response and the need for high-quality, systematic research in this area.Saulnier DD, Brolin Ribacke K, von Schreeb J. No calm after the storm: a systematic review of human health following flood and storm disasters. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(5):568-579. IntroductionThe number of weather-related disasters has increased over the last 20 years. Nearly one-half of the disasters were floods, which killed 157,000 people and affected 2.3 billion. Storms were one-quarter of the disasters but were responsible for a larger proportion of fatalities, causing 220,000 deaths and affecting 660,000 people. 1 As climate change transforms the frequency and severity of weather events in the coming years, the impact of floods and storms is likely to worsen.The health care response to a disaster should be guided by the known and expected needs of the affected population. It should be prepared for needs caused by the direct effect of the disaster and for the indirect outcomes of the initial impact. This can be achieved by knowing if and how the health of a population changes after a disaster. Response plans should use the best available evidence to understand the immediate, short-term, and long-term health outcomes after a disaster, and how ordinary health care needs are affected.D...

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“…In Brazil, the increased cases of focal retinal whitening and necrotizing retinochoroiditis identified in a flood have been associated with the Toxoplasma gondii infection in the contaminated water [ 13 ]. A study found patients with cellulitis of lower limbs after a severe flood 6.2-fold more likely to have immersed the limbs in the flood water than non-patients [ 3 ]. Fungal skin infection, bacterial skin infection, eczema, urticarial and scabies also have been associated with flood or hurricane [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of Flood-Related Diseases of Eyes, Skin and Gastrointestinal Tract in Taiwan: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Huang

Wang

et al. 2016

PLoS ONE

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Floods are known to cause serious environmental damage and health impacts. Studies on flood-related diseases have been primarily on individual events, and limited evidence could be drawn on potential health impacts from floods using large population data. This study used reimbursement records of one million people of the Taiwan National Health Insurance program to compare incident diseases of the eyes, skin and gastrointestinal (GI) tract associated with floods. Incidence rates for the selected diseases were calculated according to outpatient/emergency visit data. The incidence rates were evaluated by flood status: in 10 days before floods, during floods and within 10 days after the floods receded. Outpatient/emergency visit rates for the eye, skin and GI tract diseases were highest after floods and lowest during floods. Results from multivariate Poisson regression analyses showed that, when compared with the incidence in 10 days before floods, the incidence rate ratios (IRR) of diseases within 10 days after floods were 1.15 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10–1.20) for eyes, 1.08 (95% C.I. = 1.05–1.10) for skin, and 1.11 (95% CI = 1.08–1.14) for GI tract, after controlling for covariates. All risks increased with ambient temperature. V-shaped trends were found between age and eye diseases, and between age and GI tract diseases. In contrast, the risk of skin diseases increased with age. In conclusion, more diseases of eyes, skin and GI tract could be diagnosed after the flood.

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Epidemiological Characteristics of Lower Extremity Cellulitis after a Typhoon Flood

Cited by 15 publications

References 10 publications

Emergency Medical Teams’ Responses during the West Japan Heavy Rain 2018: J-SPEED Data Analysis

Emergency Medical Teams’ Responses during the West Japan Heavy Rain 2018: J-SPEED Data Analysis

No Calm After the Storm: A Systematic Review of Human Health Following Flood and Storm Disasters

Risk of Flood-Related Diseases of Eyes, Skin and Gastrointestinal Tract in Taiwan: A Retrospective Cohort Study

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