Mavrouli Maria, Mavroulis Spyridon, Lekkas Efthymios, Tsakris Athanassios
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.
Microorganisms. 2023 Feb 7;11(2):419. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11020419.
Earthquakes are among the most impressive natural phenomena with very high potential to set off a chain of effects that significantly affects public health through casualties and injuries. Related disasters are attributed not only to the strong ground motion and coseismic phenomena but also to secondary effects, comprising mainly landslides and tsunamis, among others. All these can create harsh conditions favorable for the emergence of infectious diseases that are capable of causing additional human and economic losses and disruption of the emergency and recovery process. The present study comprises an extensive narrative review of the existing literature on the earthquake-triggered infectious diseases recorded worldwide, along with their symptoms, causative pathogens, associated risk factors, most vulnerable population groups, and prevention strategies. Respiratory, gastrointestinal, and vector-borne diseases, as well as wound and skin infections, are mainly recorded among the earthquake-affected population. Measures for effectively preventing earthquake-triggered infectious diseases are also proposed. One of the widely proposed measures is the establishment of a proper disease surveillance system in order to immediately and effectively identify the pre- and post-disaster occurrence of infectious diseases. This approach significantly contributes to disease trends monitoring, validation of early warning, and support of the emergency response and recovery actions.
地震是最令人印象深刻的自然现象之一，极有可能引发一系列效应，通过人员伤亡对公众健康产生重大影响。相关灾害不仅归因于强烈的地面运动和同震现象，还归因于次生效应，主要包括山体滑坡和海啸等。所有这些都可能造成恶劣条件，有利于传染病的出现，而传染病会导致更多的人员和经济损失，并扰乱应急和恢复进程。本研究对全球记录的地震引发的传染病的现有文献进行了广泛的叙述性综述，包括其症状、致病病原体、相关风险因素、最脆弱的人群以及预防策略。在受地震影响的人群中，主要记录到呼吸道疾病、胃肠道疾病、媒介传播疾病以及伤口和皮肤感染。还提出了有效预防地震引发的传染病的措施。广泛提议的措施之一是建立适当的疾病监测系统，以便立即有效地识别灾害前后传染病的发生情况。这种方法对疾病趋势监测、预警验证以及应急响应和恢复行动的支持做出了重大贡献。
