Assessment of the Public Health Risks and Impact of a Tornado in Funing, China, 23 June 2016: A Retrospective Analysis

Kaiwen Wang, Shuang Zhong, Xiaoye Wang, Zhe Wang, Lianping Yang, Qiong Wang, Suhan Wang, Rongrong Sheng, Rui Ma, Shao Lin, Wenyu Liu, Rongqiang Zu and Cunrui Huang
Additional contact information
Kaiwen Wang: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 74, 2nd Yat-Sen Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510080, China
Shuang Zhong: School of Government, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Xiaoye Wang: Public Health Emergency Center, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
Zhe Wang: Public Health Emergency Center, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
Lianping Yang: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 74, 2nd Yat-Sen Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510080, China
Qiong Wang: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 74, 2nd Yat-Sen Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510080, China
Suhan Wang: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 74, 2nd Yat-Sen Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510080, China
Rongrong Sheng: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 74, 2nd Yat-Sen Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510080, China
Rui Ma: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 74, 2nd Yat-Sen Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510080, China
Shao Lin: School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
Wenyu Liu: Funing County’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Yancheng 224400, China
Rongqiang Zu: Department for Acute Infectious Disease Control, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 172 Jiangsu Road, Gulou District, Nanjing 210009, China
Cunrui Huang: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 74, 2nd Yat-Sen Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510080, China

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-13

Abstract: (1) Background: Tornadoes are one of the deadliest disasters but their health impacts in China are poorly investigated. This study aimed to assess the public health risks and impact of an EF-4 tornado outbreak in Funing, China; (2) Methods: A retrospective analysis on the characteristics of tornado-related deaths and injuries was conducted based on the database from the Funing’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Funing People’s Hospital. A change-point time-series analysis of weekly incidence for the period January 2010 to September 2016 was used to identify sensitive infectious diseases to the tornado; (3) Results: The 75 to 84 years old group was at the highest risk of both death (RR = 82.16; 95% CIs = 19.66, 343.33) and injury (RR = 31.80; 95% CI = 17.26, 58.61), and females were at 53% higher risk of death than males (RR = 1.53; 95% CIs = 1.02, 2.29). Of the 337 injuries, 274 injuries (81%) were minor. Most deaths occurred indoors (87%) and the head (74%) was the most frequent site of trauma during the tornado. Five diseases showed downward change-points; (4) Conclusions: The experience of the Funing tornado underscores the relative danger of being indoors during a tornado and is successful in avoiding epidemics post-tornado. Current international safety guidelines need modification when generalized to China.

Keywords: tornado; public health impact; natural disaster; death and injury; infectious disease (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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