Independent consultant, former WHO Medical Officer, Las Rozas, Madrid (Spain);
Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin and CPO-Piemonte, Turin (Italy).
Epidemiol Prev. 2024 May-Jun;48(3):254-259. doi: 10.19191/EP24.3.A766.062.
The current humanitarian crises in Ukraine and Gaza, along with the chronic crises, and the climate-related disasters, have exposed the limitations of the humanitarian system. Within these contexts, humanitarian organisations frequently struggle with collecting, analysing, interpreting, and utilising health data, due to the challenging environments in which they operate and funding constraints. It is precisely in these contexts that field epidemiology plays a crucial, but often overlooked role.Field epidemiologists face unique challenges, including rapidly changing conditions, poor-quality data, and biases. Despite these difficulties, accurate epidemiological data are essential for needs assessment, guidance on interventions, and advocacy. Conventional methods often need adaptation for crisis settings, and there are still gaps in measurement.This article discusses the role of epidemiology in such contexts, noting a shortage of trained 'humanitarian epidemiologists' and specialised training as major issues.To address these needs, the Italian Association of Epidemiology organised a course in early 2024 to enhance the epidemiological skills of staff working in humanitarian crises and introduce traditional epidemiologists to crisis-specific challenges. The course covered key concepts and methods of field epidemiology, emphasising the use of secondary health data. Its positive reception underscored the demand for such specialised training.Improving public health information collection and use in humanitarian crises is an ethical and practical necessity. Indeed, investing in field epidemiology and recognising its importance can enhance humanitarian interventions and better serve vulnerable populations.
当前乌克兰和加沙的人道主义危机，以及长期存在的危机和与气候相关的灾害，暴露了人道主义系统的局限性。在这些背景下，人道主义组织在收集、分析、解释和利用卫生数据方面经常面临困难，这是由于它们所处的充满挑战的环境和资金限制所致。正是在这些情况下，现场流行病学发挥了至关重要但经常被忽视的作用。现场流行病学家面临着独特的挑战，包括条件的迅速变化、数据质量差和存在偏见。尽管存在这些困难，但准确的流行病学数据对于需求评估、干预指导和宣传至关重要。传统方法通常需要适应危机环境，并且在测量方面仍然存在差距。本文讨论了流行病学在这些背景下的作用，指出缺乏受过培训的“人道主义流行病学家”和专门培训是主要问题。为了满足这些需求，意大利流行病学协会于 2024 年初组织了一次课程，旨在提高在人道主义危机中工作的工作人员的流行病学技能，并向传统流行病学家介绍危机特有的挑战。该课程涵盖了现场流行病学的关键概念和方法，强调使用二级卫生数据。它受到了积极的反馈，这突显了对这种专门培训的需求。改善人道主义危机中的公共卫生信息收集和利用是伦理和实践的必要。事实上，投资于现场流行病学并认识到其重要性可以增强人道主义干预措施，并更好地为弱势群体服务。
