Department of Microbiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.
Department of Dynamic Tectonic Applied Geology, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, School of Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 May 6;18(9):4952. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18094952.
Earthquake-induced tsunamis have the potential to cause extensive damage to natural and built environments and are often associated with fatalities, injuries, and infectious disease outbreaks. This review aims to examine the occurrence of respiratory infections (RIs) and to elucidate the risk factors of RI transmission following tsunamis which were induced by earthquakes in the last 20 years. Forty-seven articles were included in this review and referred to the RIs emergence following the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman, the 2009 Samoa, and the 2011 Japan earthquakes. Polymicrobial RIs were commonly detected among near-drowned tsunami survivors. Influenza outbreaks were commonly detected during the influenza transmission period. Overcrowded conditions in evacuation centers contributed to increased acute RI incidence rate, measles transmission, and tuberculosis detection. Destruction of health care infrastructures, overcrowded evacuation shelters, exposure to high pathogen densities, aggravating weather conditions, regional disease endemicity, and low vaccination coverage were the major triggering factors of RI occurrence in post-tsunami disaster settings. Knowledge of risk factors underlying RIs emergence following earthquake-induced tsunami can contribute to the implementation of appropriate disaster prevention and preparedness plans characterized by sufficient environmental planning, resistant infrastructures, resilient health care facilities, and well-established evacuation centers. Global and local disease surveillance is a key prerequisite for early warning and protection against RIs' emergence and transmission in tsunami-prone areas.
地震引发的海啸有可能对自然和人工环境造成广泛破坏，并且经常与人员伤亡、传染病暴发有关。本综述旨在研究地震引发海啸后呼吸道感染（RIs）的发生情况，并阐明 RI 传播的危险因素。在过去 20 年中，有 47 篇文章被纳入本综述，涉及到 2004 年苏门答腊-安达曼、2009 年萨摩亚和 2011 年日本地震后 RIs 的出现。在近溺亡海啸幸存者中，常检测到混合微生物 RI。在流感传播期间，常检测到流感暴发。在避难中心过度拥挤的条件下，急性 RI 发病率、麻疹传播和肺结核检出率增加。卫生保健基础设施的破坏、过度拥挤的避难所、暴露于高病原体密度、恶劣的天气条件、区域疾病地方性和低疫苗接种率是海啸灾害后 RI 发生的主要触发因素。了解地震引发海啸后 RI 出现的危险因素有助于实施适当的灾害预防和准备计划，这些计划的特点是充分的环境规划、耐震基础设施、有弹性的医疗保健设施和完善的避难中心。全球和地方疾病监测是海啸多发地区早期预警和预防 RI 出现和传播的关键前提。
