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.
Highlights
Tornadoes, violent rotating storms of a small diameter, are considered to be one of the top natural disaster killers and a major public health concern [1]
The risk of death increased with age among adults (Figure 2A), reaching statistical significance among decedents older than 45 years old, and the 75 to 84 years old group was at the highest risk of death (RR = 82.16; 95% confidence intervals (CIs) = 19.66, 343.33)
Females were at approximately 53% higher tornado-related death risk than males (RR = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.02, 2.29)
Summary
Violent rotating storms of a small diameter, are considered to be one of the top natural disaster killers and a major public health concern [1]. They are capable of completely destroying well-made structures, uprooting trees, and rolling up debris, usually causing mass casualties and property losses through the strong wind force and accompanied storms, hailstones, or lightning. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 1201; doi:10.3390/ijerph14101201 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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