Disaster epidemiology: analyzing health risks and consequences

Ameneh  Marzban; Soheil  Golzarhamid

doi:10.18502/ssu.v33i11.21064

Ameneh Marzban Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Soheil Golzarhamid Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ssu.v33i11.21064

Keywords: Epidemiology, disasters, health, preparedness, consequences.

Abstract

Introduction: In recent decades, the world has faced a dramatic increase in the number of critical events, from devastating earthquakes and widespread floods to global pandemics such as COVID-19 and humanitarian crises caused by war, forced migration, and climate change. These events not only destroy physical infrastructure, but also severely affect public health. In such circumstances, disaster epidemiology, as a new and applied branch of epidemiology, plays a key role in analyzing, predicting, and managing health consequences.