Health Issues Related to Earthquakes

Earthquakes are probably the most costly of natural disasters, both in terms of lives lost and property destruction.

They strike without warning, whereas many natural disasters are predictable or detectable before they occurr – such as hurricanes, flooding during rainy season or volcanic eruptions that emit smoke and ash before the event. Some disaster planners worry about the outbreak of post-earthquake epidemics (such as cholera outbreaks), but most cases have shown this scenario is unlikely.

AmeriCares has a long history of responding to major earthquakes, most recently the 8.0 earthquake in Peru (August 2007).  Other major earthquake responses:   7.6 magnitude earthquake in Pakistan (October 2005), 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Bam, Iran (December 2003), 7.6-magnitude in El Salvador and 7.9-magnitude in Gujarat, India (both in January 2001)

Injury-causing factors:

• Building collapse (most injuries and deaths result from this)
• Other blunt trauma
• Fires
• Aftershocks

Common injuries experienced during and after earthquakes:

• Cuts, scrapes & lacerations (torn or ragged wounds)
• Bone fractures
• Contusions (bruises that do not break the skin)
• Crush syndrome (muscle injury and kidney failure)
• Infected wounds
• Pulmonary complaints related to inhalation of dust
• Burns
• Common health issues exacerbated by the event:  chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (e.g. asthma, bronchitis, emphysema), heart attacks
• Mental health issues

Important medical supplies during and after earthquakes:

• Anesthetics (facilitate performance of major procedures – surgeries, amputations)
• IV solutions
• Other medicines and surgical supplies for the injuries mentioned above