The 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake highlighted the challenges of maintaining effective Early Warning, Alert, and Response Systems (EWARS) during emergencies and disasters. Key issues include damaged reporting capacities of local health facilities, the need to collect data from temporary facilities such as evacuation centers, analyzing data under emergency conditions and implementing on-site infection prevention and control measures.

This report reviews the successful joint operation of Emergency Medical Teams (EMT), Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETP), and Public Health Rapid Response Teams (PHRRT) during the earthquake.

Findings were consolidated by joint after-action review.

National EMTs such as Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) reported data on infectious diseases to the EMT Coordination Cell (EMTCC) using the J-SPEED system, which is compatible with the WHO EMT Minimum Data Set (MDS). The robust logistics capacity of EMTs allowed effective data collection from remote and ad hoc facilities. The J-SPEED Analysis Support Team at the EMTCC shared this data with the FETP. Experts from FETP analyzed the data, identifying cases requiring intervention and successfully triggered targeted infection prevention and control measures implemented by PHRRTs specifically Disaster Infection Control Team (DICT).

The joint operation demonstrated that EMTs can effectively function as ad hoc sentinels within national EWARS. The integration of EMT data with FETP analysis and targeted interventions by PHRRTs proved successful, offering a valuable model for future emergency responses globally.

Past disaster responses have demonstrated the importance of occupational health services for Emergency Medical Team (EMT) members. However, that implementation has been mostly left to individual teams and organizations and with less systematic approaches. During the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred in January 2024, the Emergency Medical Team Coordination Cell (EMTCC) activated the new Occupational Health System; J-SPEED Health Check-up for the first time to monitor health status of all EMT members and to provide comprehensive occupational services regardless of their affiliated organizations.

To review methodology and key achievements of the J-SPEED Health Check-up during the Noto Earthquake 2024 in Japan.

During their deployment, all EMT members were suggested by the EMTCC which was embedded in the local health authority to enter and report their health status daily by using the J-SPEED+ application, which was originally developed to report the EMT Minimum Data Set (MDS) of patients. At the EMTCC, J-SPEED analysis support team conducted data analysis, and Disaster Occupational Health Assistance Team (DOHAT) provided targeted interventions to the individuals identified to be supported.

A total of 20,879 data entries were recorded during the deployment, which triggered 148 interventions by the professional Occupational Health Team. Anonymous summary report was made and shared at every EMTCC meeting.

J-SPEED Health Check-up was successfully implemented. Necessary and targeted occupational health supports were provided, awareness of the issue was improved among partners.

Treatment interruptions in disaster victims are concerning, owing to an increase in natural disasters and the growing elderly population with chronic conditions. This study examined the temporal trends in treatment interruptions among victims of 2 recent major heavy rain disasters in Japan: West Japan heavy rain in 2018 and Kumamoto heavy rain in 2020.

Data for this study were derived from the national standardized medical data collection system called the “Japan Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters.” Joinpoint regression analysis was performed to examine the daily trends in treatment interruptions reported soon after each disaster onset.

A total of 144 and 87 treatment interruption cases were observed in the heavily affected areas of the West Japan heavy rain in 2018 and Kumamoto heavy rain in 2020, respectively. In both disasters, a high number of treatment interruption cases were observed on the first day after the disaster. Joinpoint regression analysis showed that trends in the percentage of treatment interruptions differed between the 2 disasters at different disaster scales.

The findings suggest the importance of a prompt response to treatment interruptions in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and consideration of the specific characteristics of the disaster when planning for disaster preparedness and response.

Rainfall-induced floods and landslides accounted for 20.7% of all disaster events in Japan from 1985 through 2018 and caused a variety of health problems, both directly and indirectly, including injuries, infectious diseases, exacerbation of pre-existing medical conditions, and psychological issues. More evidence of health problems caused by floods or heavy rain is needed to improve preparedness and preventive measures; however, collecting health data surrounding disaster events is a major challenge due to environmental hazards, logistical constraints, political and economic issues, difficulties in communication among stakeholders, and cultural barriers. In response to the West Japan Heavy Rain in July 2018, Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) used Japan - Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters (J-SPEED) as a daily reporting template, collecting data on the number and type of patients they treated and sending it to an EMT coordination cell (EMTCC) during the response.

The aim of the study was to conduct a descriptive epidemiology study using J-SPEED data to better understand the health problems during floods and heavy rain disasters.

The number and types of health problems treated by EMTs in accordance with the J-SPEED (Ver 1.0) form were reported daily by 85 EMTs to an EMTCC, where data were compiled during the West Japan Heavy Rain from July 8 through September 11, 2018. Reported items in the J-SPEED form were analyzed by age, gender, area (prefecture), and time period.

The analysis of J-SPEED data from the West Japan Heavy Rain 2018 revealed the characteristics of a total of 3,617 consultations with the highest number of consultations (2,579; 71.3%) occurring between Day 5 and Day 12 of the 65-day EMT response. During the response period, skin disease was the most frequently reported health event (17.3%), followed by wounds (14.3%), disaster stress-related symptoms (10.0%), conjunctivitis (6.3%), and acute respiratory infections (ARI; 5.4%).

During the response period, skin disease was the most frequently reported health event, followed by wounds, stress, conjunctivitis, and ARIs. The health impacts of a natural disaster are determined by a variety of factors, and the current study’s findings are highly context dependent; however, it is expected that as more data are gathered, the consistency of finding will increase.

Japan recently experienced two major heavy rain disasters: the West Japan heavy rain disaster in July 2018 and the Kumamoto heavy rain disaster in July 2020. Between the occurrences of these two disasters, Japan began experiencing the wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, providing a unique opportunity to compare the incidence of acute respiratory infection (ARI) between the two disaster responses under distinct conditions.

The data were collected by using the standard disaster medical reporting system used in Japan, so-called the Japan-Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters (J-SPEED), which reports number and types of patients treated by Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs). Data for ARI were extracted from daily aggregated data on the J-SPEED form and the frequency of ARI in two disasters was compared.

Acute respiratory infection in the West Japan heavy rain that occurred in the absence of COVID-19 and in the Kumamoto heavy rain that occurred in the presence of COVID-19 were responsible for 5.4% and 1.2% of the total consultation, respectively (P <.001).

Between the occurrence of these two disasters, Japan implemented COVID-19 preventive measures on a personal and organizational level, such as wearing masks, disinfecting hands, maintaining social distance, improving room ventilation, and screening people who entered evacuation centers by using hygiene management checklists. By following the basic prevention measures stated above, ARI can be significantly reduced during a disaster.