Health-Related Emergency Disaster Risk Management (Health-EDRM)

Disasters such as earthquakes cyclones floods heat waves nuclear accidents and large scale pollution incidents take lives and cause exceptionally large health problems. The majority of large-scale disasters affect the most vulnerable populations which are often comprised of people of extreme ages in remote living areas with endemic poverty and with low literacy. Health-related emergency disaster risk management (Health-EDRM) [1] refers to the systematic analysis and management of health risks surrounding emergencies and disasters; it plays an important role in reducing hazards and vulnerability along with extending preparedness response and recovery measures. This concept encompasses risk analyses and interventions such as accessible early warning systems timely deployment of relief workers and the provision of suitable drugs and medical equipment to decrease the impact of disaster on people before during and after disaster events. Disaster risk profiling and interventions can be at the personal/household community and system/political levels; they can be targeted at specific health risks including respiratory issues caused by indoor burning re-emergence of infectious disease due to low vaccination coverage and gastrointestinal problems resulting from unregulated waste management. Unfortunately there has been a major gap in the scientific literature regarding Health-EDRM. The aim of this Special Issue of IJERPH was to present papers describing/reporting the latest disaster and health risk analyses as well as interventions for health-related disaster risk management in an effort to address this gap and facilitate major global policies and initiatives for disaster risk reduction.