The WHO EMTCC coordinated responses to Cyclone Idai in Mozambique (2019), the refugee crisis in Moldova (2022), the earthquake in Türkiye (2023), and the humanitarian crisis in Cairo (2024). Each event presented unique Information Management (IM) challenges.

Analyze and compare WHO EMTCC Information Management practices across these crises, identifying specific challenges and implemented solutions.

• Disaster: Cyclone Idai

• Impact: Infrastructure destruction, numerous casualties

• Information Management: Diverse data collection, weak real-time updates, lack of unified management, poor communication infrastructure

• Disaster: Refugee crisis from Ukraine invasion

• Impact: Overburdened medical system

• Information Management: Fragmented EMT management, information overlaps, language barriers, stable communication infrastructure

• Disaster: Major earthquake

• Impact: Building collapses, numerous injuries

• Information Management: Improved use of tools like MDS, rapid data collection, multi-national team coordination challenges, real-time sharing needs, lack of domestic EMT data

• Disaster: Palestine Humanitarian Crisis

• Impact: Numerous casualties, infrastructure damage

• Information Management: Secretive management, high-security needs, limited internal sharing, independent coordinator decisions

Mozambique highlighted the need for digitalization and unified data systems. Moldova emphasized unified platforms and pre-registration processes. Türkiye showed progress in data tools but needed better real-time systems and domestic coordination. Cairo underlined secure and efficient information sharing in high-security contexts.

WHO EMTCC’s IM practices varied across disasters. Common challenges included unified data management, real-time sharing, and multi-national team coordination. Future efforts should standardize protocols, improve communication infrastructure, and enhance WHO EMT Initiative training. The Japan Disaster Relief team’s contributions provided valuable insights for future improvements.

This study explores the role of Information Management (IM) in disaster management, through the use of the Minimum Data Set (MDS). The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) Asia-Pacific Regional Earthquake Response Exercise (ERE) and the Project for Strengthening the ASEAN Regional Capacity on Disaster Health Management (ARCH Project) have provided platforms for such exploration. As an exercise controller, my involvement has focused on supporting the EMTCC from the IM perspective.

The primary objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of IM, through MDS, in supporting EMTCC during disaster response exercises and actual disaster scenarios.

Participation in regional collaboration drills and real-world disaster scenarios provided insights into IM practices. Key activities included supporting EMTCC during exercises, assisting the Moldovan government and WHO regional office affected by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and collaborating with WHO’s regional office (EMRO) for Palestinian support in 2023. IM support involved data collection, situation analysis, and the ongoing provision of off-site support for MDS implementation.

The exercises and real-world engagements demonstrated significant growth in national EMTs’ capabilities and highlighted the critical role of IM. The MDS-supported IM processes effectively facilitated data collection and analysis, enhancing coordination and decision-making.

Ongoing training and support for EMTCC through IM are vital for effective disaster response. The study underscores the importance of structured IM in improving disaster management and the operational readiness of EMTs. Future efforts should continue to focus on refining IM practices and enhancing data management capabilities to ensure robust responses to health emergencies.

The National EMT, Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) in Japan is crucial for coordinating medical relief during disasters at the prefectural level. The prefectural Emergency Operation Center analyzes information and determines action plans to ensure efficient medical support. This involves strategic information collection, management, and decision-making to address the immediate and ongoing needs of affected populations. Understanding DMAT’s processes provides valuable insights into disaster management.

This study aims to:

1. 1. Identify DMAT’s information collection and management methods.

2. 2. Describe the strategic decision-making process for action plans.

3. 3. Evaluate the effectiveness of these processes in disaster scenarios.

DMAT systematically collects data from affected medical institutions. Key steps include:

• Data Gathering: Collecting data on damage assessments, facility status, patient numbers, and resource availability.

• Real-time Updates: Continuously updating information to reflect the changing situation.

• Data Integration: Consolidating data to create a comprehensive overview of the disaster’s impact.

The decision-making process includes:

• Needs Assessment: Evaluating medical needs based on collected data.

• Resource Allocation: Allocating medical teams and resources to high-need areas.

• Coordination: Establishing communication with local, and national agencies.

• Action Plan Formulation: Developing detailed response plans.

• Enhanced Coordination: Clear communication improves coordination among stakeholders.

• Effective Resource Utilization: Strategic allocation maximizes the impact of medical resources.

• Successful Case Studies: Effective responses to multiple disasters demonstrate DMAT’s approach.

DMAT’s framework for information management and action planning enhances disaster response. Continued refinement and integration of new technologies will further improve medical support, saving lives and reducing disaster impacts.

In 2017, the World Health Organization introduced an international standardized medical data collection tool for disasters, known as the Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Minimum Data Set (MDS). The EMT MDS was activated for the first time in 2019 in response to Cyclone Idai in Mozambique. The present study aimed to examine the daily and phase trends in acute mental health problems identified by international EMTs during their response to Cyclone Idai and reported using the EMT MDS.

Joinpoint regression analysis was used to examine daily trends in acute mental health consultations. Trends were also examined by phases, which were identified using joinpoints.

During the 90-day EMT response period following Cyclone Idai, 94 acute mental health consultations were reported. The daily trend analysis showed a significant increase in the daily number and percentage of acute mental health consultations from response onset until day 13, followed by a gradual decline (P<0.05). The phase trend analysis showed a consistent decrease across the identified phases (P for trend<0.001).

The findings of this study provide insight into the need for mental health support in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters and how that need may change over time.

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.

Various COVID-19 countermeasures were taken at Japan border control policy, especially, the return mission of Japanese nationals from Wuhan and the response to the Diamond Princess are considered to be cases that have stood out worldwide attention.

On the other hand, in response to the variants after December 2020, strict measures were taken, such as testing all those who entered Japan, quarantining those who tested positive, and requiring those who entered from certain regions to wait at some hotels even if they tested negative.

Report the response of quarantine in Japan.

In particular, for the Omicron variant in December 2021, the government took measures such as limiting the total number of people entering Japan, securing a maximum of over 20,000 rooms in a very short period of time, and providing domestic air transportation when necessary. The results of measures will be reported in this study.

Various countermeasures taken as border control against COVID-19 in Japan were reported.

Emergency Medical Team Coordination Cell (EMTCC) was established in WHO Moldova Country Office to coordinate responding International EMTs in March 2022. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) sent an EMTCC assistance team to support the WHO-approved minimum data collection for emergency medical teams, Minimum Data Set (MDS), operations and other coordination activities. Introducing activities of the JICA EMTCC assistance team at the Moldova EMTCC will suggest future use.

EMTCC assistance team activities were reviewed.

There was a wide range of high-level administrative functions in EMTCC, such as planning, logistics, assurance and governance, and human resources. One of the significant functions was introducing MDS to the medical team and extracting the data summaries for reporting to the Moldova Ministry of Health. All these tasks require considerable time to manage and must be completed promptly for effective EMTCC operations.

The EMTCC coordinator should function as a decision-maker to control the coordination of EMTs communicating with WHO and implementing the EMT initiative. In a disaster, especially in the acute phase of EMTCC activities, more high-level administrative functions will be required with immediate processing. Therefore, it is considered that the EMTCC assistance team should work with the coordinator as early as possible. In addition, all these EMTCC assistance team activities should be standardized and specified in the EMTCC handbook for future operation reference.

The Japan Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) was established in 2005. Although it had become possible to gather medical teams at an early stage in the fields of health and welfare, there had still been a lack of personnel. In 2017, the Japanese government decided to establish the Health and Medical Coordination Headquarters when we had major disasters. Not only the medical team, but also the public health nurse and the welfare team gathered at this headquarter, and activities that integrated health, medical care, and welfare started from an early stage. On the other hand, WHO indicates to establish EMTCC within the Ministry of Health, in order to manage and coordinate EMT activities and aggregate data.

The Japanese Headquarters and the EMTCC were compared in terms of their functions and issues.

In Japanese headquarters, the director of the local public health center will be the director, and the secretariat for the headquarters will be run by supporters. Participants in the headquarter meeting include leaders of public institutions involved in health risk management. Furthermore, leaders of unions such as medical, dentist, pharmacists and nurses on the side of supporters, leaders of medical, healthcare, and welfare will participate. To establish EMTCC, WHO dispatches a coordinator, information manager, and data analyst.

EMTCC collects medical information by using Minimum Data Set (MDS), which is similar to Japanese Surveillance in post extreme emergencies and disasters (J-SPEED). The most significant difference is that EMTCC does not deal with health and welfare issues.

Regarding medical care, information is summarized in a similar way at headquarters. These facts indicate the Japanese headquarters management experience is applicable to EMTCC.

Hospitals experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak are in a similar situation to those affected by natural disasters, with a breakdown in command and coordination, shortage of personnel and supplies, and increased stress among staff. In Japan, when a COVID-19 outbreak occurs, the first step is for the hospital or health center to respond. However, if the local authorities are unable to respond, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare dispatch Disaster Medicine Assistance Team (DMAT) by request of the local government to facilitate early recovery. This study will examine the effectiveness of early phase support by DMAT.

Patients and healthcare workers in 31 hospitals supported by DMAT after an outbreak occurred between April 2020 and January 2021 were included in the study. Attack rate and case fatality rate for patients and the attack rate for healthcare workers were analyzed for each of the two groups: those that started support less than ten days after the first positive case and those that started support more than ten days after the first positive case.

For hospitals that started support in less than ten days, the attack rate was 27.9%, the case fatality rate was 17.4% for patients, and the attack rate for healthcare workers was 9.7%. For hospitals that took more than ten days to start support, the attack rate was 44.8%, the case fatality rate was 23.1% for patients, and the attack rate for healthcare workers was 14.3%. The attack rate (p<0.001) and case fatality rate (p=0.011) for patients and attack rate for healthcare workers (p<0.001) were significantly lower in hospitals that started support in less than ten days.

Early intervention of DMAT support using natural disaster support techniques for hospitals experiencing an outbreak reduced the attack rate and case fatality rate for patients and healthcare workers.

In Japan, the response to COVID-19 has been a disaster response. In May 2021, the number of patients requiring hospitalization increased rapidly in Sapporo City, Hokkaido. Almost all medical institutions and clinics were overcrowded, and patients were forced to wait at home. Sapporo City requested a response from the Japan Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT).

DMAT collaborated with the Sapporo City Public Health Center to set up a patient waiting station (The Temporary Medical Facility for Hospitalization Waiting) utilizing an unused hotel. DMAT placed the patient under medical care, provided oxygen therapy and other procedures, and coordinated hospitalization referrals. DMAT also organized a doctor home response system for patients who need emergency hospitalization and those who have returned home from The Hospital Waiting Stations.

64% of the patients were admitted to hospitals, 27% back to their homes, 9% were sent to residential care facilities, and 1% were sent to welfare facilities. The doctor home response system was able to redirect 52% of patients requiring emergency hospitalization.

For the rapidly increasing number of patients with COVID-19, DMAT established a temporary medical facility and home visit system and was able to minimize the number of preventable deaths.

Non-coordinated support during disasters has negative effects on affected communities and people. From the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the United Nations introduced a cluster approach to avoid gaps and duplication of aid. Japan's disaster coordination of support for health and medical care was organized after the 2017 Kumamoto earthquake. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) announced and issued the notice that the prefectures need to establish a system related to health and medical activities in the event of a large-scale disaster. In July 2022, welfare content was added. This study investigated the current status of health sector organizational coordination among health, medical, and welfare responders during 2022 the Large-Scale Earthquake National Exercise (LSENE).

The 2022 LSENE was conducted on October 1, 2022 with participation from the Disaster Medical Assistant Team (DMAT) and responders from each prefecture's health and welfare divisions and organizations. Each responder's exercise log sheet and the exercise controller's evaluation were reviewed.

Even though there was a notice from the MHLW, organized coordination was conducted only by several medical and health teams. DMAT is the only team with a system to dispatch teams from non-affected prefectures and coordinate well to allocate teams. Some other health and welfare organizations did not have a dispatching system. They had difficulty sending teams to affected areas, especially due to a lack of a systematic response system, training, coordination headquarters, and information sharing. It was suggested that information sharing and coordination among responders is necessary, although information gathering and request judgments related to dispatch coordination are different for each organization.

In order to smoothly coordinate support teams for health, medical, and welfare in the event of a disaster, it is necessary not only to improve the coordination headquarters for health, medical, and welfare but also to verify its operation through training.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. UNHCR reported, as of April 6th, more than 4.3 million refugees have fled Ukraine, with 401,704 refugees arriving in the Republic of Moldova, around 100,000 of whom have remained in the country. JICA investigated whether Moldova's healthcare needs were burdened by accepting a large number of Ukrainian refugees, and examined the way to support them.

JICA dispatched the 3rd team as a survey team. The 2nd team consisted of two medical doctors, one nurse/midwife, one clinical engineer (CE), one Japan DMAT logistician, and two JICA staff. The dispatch period was three weeks when five major hospitals were visited in the capital, evaluating the current situation and the need for support for the future.

As of April 6, 2022, 3,853 people were staying in refugee accommodation centers, while the rest lived in ordinary Moldovan families. Evacuees, like Moldovan citizens, were covered by health insurance, and evacuees had access to medical care. Medical institutions were not overwhelmed by medical needs due to the Ukraine crisis. There was no epidemic of infectious diseases even at evacuation centers. However, since there was no system to share emergency information between hospitals, we held a disaster medical seminar to introduce the current situation of disaster support in Japan and supporting EMTCC.

As a survey team, not only doctors but also nurses, midwives, and CEs surveyed, making it easier to understand the specific medical needs at medical facilities. Most of the evacuees stayed in ordinary Moldovan homes, and it is possible that avoiding a crowded environment at the evacuation shelters prevented the epidemic of infectious diseases.

Japan DMAT and US DMAT have been conducting several tabletop exercises to prepare for major earthquake disasters in Japan. Japan is predicting overwhelming disasters on Japanese soil soon, which needs efficient and optimum use of resources in medical assistance, including additional support from the US. The Japanese government established a large-scale Earthquake/Tsunami Disaster Emergency Response protocol in 2020. However, this protocol does not include any standard operation procedure (SOP) to receive an international medical team. The purpose of this study is to establish the SOP of receiving medical assistance from US-DMAT based on the WHO International Emergency Team (EMT) initiative through tabletop exercises.

Collaborated with the Office of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) of the United States Health and Human Services, tabletop exercises assuming that a large-scale earthquake occurred during the hosting of the 2025 Osaka Expo was conducted utilizing an online meeting system.

A provisional SOP was composed. Even though Japan had several disaster medical assistance collaborations with US DMAT and is well-familiarized with the Classification and Minimum Standards for Emergency Medical Teams", many issues need to be prepared to accept US DMAT.

Numerous procedures need to be conducted to receive US DMAT assistance during a large-scale earthquake in Japan. With this SOP, receiving US medical team assistance will be conducted promptly, eventually saving many lives. This SOP can be modified for other international teams' acceptance in Japan. It could reference other countries seeking to have SOP for receiving international medical team assistance shortly.

Since February 24, 2022, at the time of writing this plan, approximately 400,000+ refugees had entered Moldova and 282,842 had exited Moldova. EMTCC will need to coordinate international medical teams assisting with the increasing refugee numbers crossing into Moldova from southern Ukraine for the MOH and international EMT’s in support of trauma management in Palanca and related borders and referral to health care facilities within Moldova.

This EMTCC operational plan sets objectives and explores trigger points that require actions in the context of International EMT’s, two service levels were trauma triage/stabilization and primary health care.

Odesa was a city located approximately 60 kilometers from the Moldova border crossing of Palanca. Trauma patients reaching the Palanca border would need to be identified in vehicular columns by roving triage teams (EMT 1 M) and expedited through the border. Survivability of severe trauma patients proceeding through the border crossing and expected to transit through to tertiary level care would be low without the intervention of trauma stabilization teams (damage control). The initial positioning of at least 2 trauma stabilization points would require the support, skills, logistics and self sustainability of classified EMT’s or similar. These would also need the additional support of specialized trauma/surgical cells at both Stefan Voda and Causeni Hospitals.

Odessa escalation should have been the worst scenario, but we were able to work with MOH in Moldova to develop a plan to save more lives for trauma patients reaching the Palanca border.

In the last ten years, Japan has experienced several large-scale earthquakes with devastating social and health impacts. Earthquakes directly and indirectly cause a variety of health problems. Further investigation is required to increase preparedness and preventive efforts. In response to the Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake on September 6, 2018, 32 Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) employed the Japanese version of Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters (J-SPEED) as a national standard daily reporting template, gathering data on the number and type of health problems treated.

The purpose of the study is to conduct a descriptive epidemiology study using the J-SPEED data to better understand the health problems during the earthquake disaster.

Reported items in J-SPEED (Ver 1.0) form were analyzed by age, gender, and time to better understand the health issues that have arisen from the earthquake.

Most consultations (721; 97.6%) occurred between Day 1 and Day 13 of the 32-day EMT response. During the response period, disaster stress-related symptoms were the most common health event (15.2%), followed by wounds (14.5%) and skin diseases (7.0%).

The most often reported health event during the response period was stress-associated illnesses related to disasters, followed by wounds and skin conditions. The health consequences of natural disasters depend on diverse local environment and population. As a result, this initial study was hard to generalize; however, it is expected that data accumulated using the J-SPEED system in the future will strengthen and extend the conclusions.

During a disaster, comprehensive, accurate, timely, and standardized health data collection is needed to improve patient care and support effective responses. In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Minimum Data Set (MDS) as an international standard for data collection in the context of disasters and public health emergencies. The EMT MDS was formally activated for the first time in 2019 during the response to Cyclone Idai in Mozambique.

The aim of this study was to analyze data collected through the EMT MDS during Cyclone Idai of 2019 and to identify the benefits of and opportunities for its future use.

The EMT MDS was used for data collection. All 13 international EMTs deployed from March 27 through July 12 reported data in accordance with the EMT MDS form. The collected data were analyzed descriptively.

A total of 18,468 consultations, including delivery of 94 live births, were recorded. For children under-five and those five-years and older, the top five reasons for consultation were minor injuries (4.5% and 10.8%, respectively), acute respiratory infections ([ARI] 12.6% and 4.8%, respectively), acute watery diarrhea (18.7% and 7.7%, respectively), malaria (9.2% and 6.1%, respectively), and skin diseases (5.1% and 3.1%, respectively). Non-disaster-related health events accounted for 84.7% of the total health problems recorded. Obstetric care was among the core services provided by EMTs during the response.

Despite of challenges, the EMT MDS reporting system was found to support the responses and coordination of EMTs. The role of the Mozambican Ministry of Health (MOH), its cooperation with EMTs, and the dedicated technical support of international organizations enabled its successful implementation.

The Minimum Data Set (MDS) has allowed governments of disaster-affected countries to collect, examine, and evaluate standardized medical data from Emergency Medical Teams in real-time. However, little study has been conducted on the use of MDS data to predict health care needs.

This research proposes an outlook on the use of machine learning and MDS data to predict the need for medical care in disaster-affected areas.

The characteristics of the data collected by MDS and the optimal machine learning model were discussed.

The primary causes of disease after disasters are trauma (MDS Nos. 4–8), which frequently occurs immediately after a disaster, and infectious diseases (MDS Nos. 9–18), which can increase due to decreasing hygiene conditions. Furthermore, certain infectious diseases can spread quickly because of living in congested evacuation centers, and early detection is crucial.

Therefore, predicting the need for medical care in a disaster area is complicated and requires a combination of many machine-learning models. Data-driven methods are mostly linear approaches and cannot capture the dynamics of infectious disease transmission. Additionally, statistical models depend heavily on assumptions, making real-time infection prediction challenging. Thus, deep learning is employed to model without losing the temporal component.

Real-time prediction of health care needs using machine learning and MDS can be useful to policymakers by enabling them to better deploy and allocate health care resources, which is useful to patients and front-line health care providers. More detailed predictions for regions and diseases are also anticipated.

Japan is a country with many disasters. Japan’s disaster medical system has improved significantly over the past 30 years by gaining experience in various disasters. Japan is implementing one of the unique disaster medical teams raised from experience and needs.

Introducing the Japan Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) system and discussing how the domestic disaster medical team should be.

Referring to the actual response to domestic disasters and the development of disaster medical teams in Japan.

The National Emergency Medical Teams (National-EMT), Japan DMAT, was established in 2005. Currently, DMAT is 1,754 teams and over 15,862 members were registered. The team usually consists of five to six personnel, including two doctors, two nurses, and two logisticians. Each team carries standardized equipment. Japan DMAT will not set up a field hospital in the disaster area. Japan DMAT will bring a team to the Disaster Base Hospitals (DBHs) and start supporting the affected hospital operation first. Then, if there are other affected patients within DBH’s medical jurisdiction, then the team will mobile and support each hospital and clinic for further medical assistance.

Having National-EMT in your own country is necessary for disaster-prone countries. Still, it is also required to consider what type of EMT needs to be established, referring already existing emergency medical system of your country.

Japan DMAT and US DMAT have been collaborating in the past to prepare for expected and unexpected disasters in Japan. Japan is predicting overwhelming disasters on Japanese soil soon, which needs efficient and optimum use of resources in medical assistance, including additional support from overseas, particularly from the US. The Japanese government established a large-scale Earthquake/Tsunami Disaster Emergency Response protocol in 2020. However, this protocol does not include any standard operation procedure (SOP) to receive an international medical team.

Establishing the SOP of receiving medical assistance from US-DMAT based on the WHO International Emergency Team (EMT) initiative.

Collaborated with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) of the United States Health and Human Services, tabletop exercises assuming that a large-scale earthquake occurred during hosting the 2025 Osaka Expo was conducted online meeting system.

Provisional SOP was formed by the Japan research team and ASPR representatives. Even though Japan had several disaster medical assistance collaborations with US DMAT and is well-familiarized with the Classification and Minimum Standards for Emergency Medical Teams, many issues need to be prepared to accept US DMAT.

Numerous procedures need to be conducted to receive US DMAT assistance during a large-scale earthquake in Japan. With this SOP, receiving US medical team assistance will be conducted promptly, eventually saving many lives. This SOP can be modified for other international teams’ acceptance in Japan. It could reference other countries seeking to have SOPs for receiving international medical team assistance in the near future.

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.