Reduced Death Rates from Cyclones in Bangladesh: What More Needs to Be Done?/ Les Taux De Mortalite Lies Au Passage De Cyclones Sont En Diminution Au Bangladesh: Quelles Mesures Supplementaires Envisager?/ Tras la Reduccion De Las Tasas De Mortalidad Por Ciclones En Bangladesh: ?Que Otras Acciones Son Necesarias?
2012; World Health Organization; Volume: 90; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1564-0604
AutoresUbydul Haque, Masahiro Hashizume, Korine N. Kolivras, Hans J. Overgaard, Bivash Das, Taro Yamamoto,
Tópico(s)Agricultural risk and resilience
ResumoBackground Cyclones and storm surges threaten coastal communities worldwide. The World Meteorological Organization defines tropical cyclone as a non-frontal synoptic scale cyclone originating over tropical or subtropical waters with organized convection and definite cyclonic surface wind circulation. (1) More specifically, storm in the south-east Indian Ocean is cyclonic when the sustained wind speed is more than 33 nautical miles per hour (> 62 km/h). The storm surge represents major cause of death and injury during cyclone. A storm surge is the difference between the water level under the influence of disturbance (storm tide) and the normal level that would have been reached in the absence of the meteorological disturbance. (2) Over the past two centuries, around two million people worldwide have died and millions have been injured as result of tropical storms, including cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons. (3) Globally, the number of cyclones has increased more than threefold (Fig. 1) from 1970 to 2006. (4) The strength and number of major cyclones may be increasing because of higher sea surface temperatures associated with global warming. (5) Tropical cyclones and storm surges are particularly severe in the Bay of Bengal region. We review the impact of cyclones on health and livelihoods in Bangladesh, in light of the progress made and the challenges that remain. We explore cyclone-related severity and death in Bangladesh over the past 50 years, and discuss the experiences of other cyclone-afflicted countries. We also consider how we can learn from international experience to reduce the adverse health impacts of natural disasters. Finally, we recommend mitigation and adaptation strategies, and future research needs. Cyclones in Bangladesh Bangladesh is especially vulnerable to cyclones because of its location at the triangular shaped head of the Bay of Bengal, (6) the sea-level geography of its coastal area, its high population density and the lack of coastal protection systems. During the pre-monsoon (April-May) or post-monsoon (October-November) seasons, cyclones frequently hit the coastal regions of Bangladesh. About 40% of the total global storm surges are recorded in Bangladesh, (7) and the deadliest cyclones in the past 50 years, in terms of deaths and casualties, are those that have struck Bangladesh? The number and severity of cyclones in Bangladesh and the associated mortalities have varied greatly during the past 50 years (Table 1). The two deadliest cyclones occurred in 1970 and 1991, with >500000 and almost 140 000 deaths, respectively. However, during the past 20 years, Bangladesh has managed to reduce deaths and injuries from cyclones. For example, the most recent severe cyclone of 2007 caused 4234 deaths, 100-fold reduction compared with the devastating 1970 cyclone. In addition to the immediate death and suffering caused by such disasters, cyclones also have direct and indirect impacts on general public health, livelihoods, infrastructure, the economy and sociocultural foundations. They can affect access to food and drinking water, and increase the transmission risks of infectious diseases, such as diarrhoea, hepatitis, malaria, dengue, pneumonia, eye infections and skin diseases, (12) thus contributing to the interruption of livelihoods. Surface water, the main source of drinking water in coastal regions of Bangladesh, becomes contaminated by saline intrusion and poor sanitation systems. (13,14) Open latrines and poor sanitation are common in rural Bangladesh and coastal areas, and cyclones make this situation worse. (13) The lack of safe drinking water may be the most important cause of the spread of waterborne diseases after cyclone. Other causes are through indirect impacts such as damaged infrastructure, population displacement, reduced food production and the release of contaminants into the water (e.g. from storage and waste disposal sites). …
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