Centre for Radiation, Chemicals and Environmental Hazards, Health Protection Agency, 7th Floor Holborn Gate, 330 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7PR, UK.
Perspect Public Health. 2010 Sep;130(5):222-6. doi: 10.1177/1757913910379197.
Historical accounts of famines in Ethiopia go as far back as the 9th century, however, evidence on its impact on health only started to emerge from the 15th century onwards. Unfortunately, famine has been endemic in Ethiopia in the last few decades. The 1973 famine is reported to have claimed over 300,000 lives. In 1985 approximately 10 million people were reported to be starving, with approximately 300,000 already dead and about 1000 dying daily. In the following years, droughts leading to food shortage have had local and national adverse health effects, in particular in 1999/2000. This paper describes the initial findings of a literature review of evidence on the health impact of droughts leading to famine in Ethiopia and highlights gaps in knowledge. The key finding, thus far, is the marked paucity of health impact data. This review also highlights the fact that adverse health impacts of famines are probably complex and long lasting. Interpretation of any health impact data is difficult as there are few baseline data to compare. Health effects also impact livelihoods. Livelihood disruption following famine does not just affect one generation but also subsequent generations. Surveillance systems are needed so that records of the health impacts of a drought that leads to famine can inform action. With climate change bringing increased likelihood of drought and famine in some parts of the world, the findings of this review could be beneficial not just for Ethiopia but also elsewhere.
埃塞俄比亚的饥荒历史可以追溯到 9 世纪，但关于其对健康影响的证据直到 15 世纪才开始出现。不幸的是，过去几十年，饥荒一直是埃塞俄比亚的地方性问题。据报道，1973 年的饥荒导致超过 30 万人死亡。1985 年，据报道约有 1000 万人挨饿，其中约 30 万人已经死亡，每天约有 1000 人死亡。在随后的几年里，导致粮食短缺的干旱对当地和国家的健康产生了不利影响，尤其是在 1999/2000 年。本文描述了对导致埃塞俄比亚饥荒的干旱对健康影响的文献综述的初步研究结果，并强调了知识空白。迄今为止的主要发现是，健康影响数据明显缺乏。该综述还强调了一个事实，即饥荒的不利健康影响可能是复杂且持久的。由于几乎没有基线数据可供比较，因此很难解释任何健康影响数据。健康影响也会影响生计。饥荒后的生计中断不仅影响一代人，还会影响后代。需要监测系统，以便记录导致饥荒的干旱对健康的影响，为采取行动提供信息。随着气候变化使世界某些地区发生干旱和饥荒的可能性增加，这一综述的结果不仅对埃塞俄比亚，而且对其他地方也可能有益。
