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.

COVID-19 conforms to key baseline characteristics of disaster which is defined as “a situation or event that overwhelms local capacity, necessitating a request for national or international level of assistance.” Many countries faced shortages of health workforce, maldistribution, misalignment of needs and skills of healthcare workers.

The research goal is to identify the country responses on the shortage of workforce, their best practices and the lessons learned that may help to better handle any similar crisis in the future.

The scoping review was conducted in four electronic academic databases, namely, Medline, Web of Science, EBSCO, and TRIP and 24 scientific articles were reviewed. This study is funded by the World Health Organization Centre for Health Development (WKC-HEDRM-K21001).

The main strategies implemented were a financial coordination mechanism, relaxing standards/rule, redeployment, recruiting volunteers, fast tracking medical students, and using other resources in the workforce such as: the recruitment of inactive healthcare workers, returnees whose registration has lapsed within the last 1-2 years and integration of internationally educated health professionals. All these strategies demonstrated advantages like establishing mutual support across nations, organizations, motivating healthcare workers, lessening the workload of healthcare workers, and creating a new staff model for the next pandemic. If a pandemic lasts longer, financial support mechanisms are no longer feasible and longer working hours result in burnout. Managing volunteers, including supervision of their safety and allocation to the area in need, required hard effort and high-level coordination, especially when a needs assessment is unavailable. Another problem was the absence of an available list of resources, including volunteers and retired medical personnel.

To date, countries have not yet determined clear policies on how to ensure the sustainability and resilience of the workforce during major health shocks. A follow-up study investigating the strategies implemented is needed.

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.

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.