What is Epidemiology?

Epidemiology is the fundamental science of public health, studying the distribution and determinants of health-related events in populations for the purpose of prevention or control.^[1]

What is Disaster?

A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources.^[2]

(VULNERABILITY + HAZARD ) / CAPACITY = DISASTER

What is Disaster Epidemiology?

I am a self-described disaster epidemiologist, generally interested in the health impacts of natural hazards.

Disaster epidemiology is the use of epidemiological methods to assess the short- and long-term adverse health effects of disasters and to prevent the consequences of future events.^[3]

Typically, the main objectives of disaster epidemiology are to:

• prevent or reduce the number of deaths, illnesses, and injuries caused by disasters,
• provide timely and accurate health information for decision-makers, and
• improve prevention and mitigation strategies for future disasters by gaining information for future response preparation.