Resumen de Epidemiology of Traumatic Injuries from Earthquakes

Marizen Ramirez, Corinne Peek-Asa

• More than 500,000 earthquakes are documented each year. Although the vast majority are too small or too remotely located to be felt by humans, approximately 3,000 are perceptible by human populations, of which seven to 11 result in significant loss of life (1, 2). Over the last 30 years, a yearly average of 21 earthquakes were reported, disasters defined as events resulting in more than 10 deaths, more than 100 people affected, a request for international assistance, or a declaration of a state of emergency (3). This average has increased to more than 30 in the last 5 years. In addition to loss of life, earthquakes cause considerably more nonfatal traumatic injuries and long-term damage to transportation, communication, and financial infrastructures; yet, only recently has there been a recognized need to routinely collect data on these less severe effects.

  In the past 25 years, over 530,000 deaths have been reported from earthquakes, with death tolls from major earthquakes ranging from fewer than five to more than 240,000 (1, 3). Table 1 shows characteristics of 32 selected earthquakes that occurred from 1985 to 2003. These earthquakes show substantial variability in the number of deaths and in magnitude. Epidemiologic methods for describing causal associations are a promising approach to account for this variability and to identify potential avenues for preparedness and mitigation.