Health and Medical Issues in the Area Affected by Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident.

Akemi Miyagawa,Koichi Tanigawa

doi:10.3390/ijerph19010144

Abstract

Futaba County was the area most affected by the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. To understand issues around the re-development of the medical system, we investigated the post-accident changes in medical needs and the system’s transition. We analyzed reports from Fukushima Prefecture and local municipalities, ambulance transport data from the Futaba Fire Department, and patient data from Futaba Medical Center (FMC). After the accident, all medical institutions were closed, and the number of ambulance use dropped sharply. With the lifting of evacuation orders beginning in 2014, the amount of ambulance use increased at an annual rate of about 10%. Early on, the proportion of trauma caused by occupational and traffic accidents increased rapidly to more than 30%. As residents returned, the proportion related to endogenous diseases (most commonly respiratory) increased. Soon after the FMC opened in 2018, the majority of the patients were in their 60s, and by 2019 the proportion of patients in their 80s markedly increased. The return of the residents as well as ongoing decontamination and reconstruction projects were related to changes in the demographics of patients and the types of injuries and illnesses observed.

Highlights

Futaba County consists of eight towns and villages and is located on the eastern coast of Fukushima Prefecture
Hospitals with emergency capability became completely absent in Futaba County, and the majority of emergency cases that occurred in the area were transported to medical institutions outside the region
With the lifting of the evacuation orders from these municipalities occurred, the number of ambulance use increased at an annual rate of about 10%, until 2019

Summary

Introduction

Futaba County consists of eight towns and villages (the towns of Namie, Futaba, Okuma, Tomioka, Naraha, and Hirono, and the villages of Kawauchi and Katsurao) and is located on the eastern coast of Fukushima Prefecture. This was the area most affected by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP). Medical institutions and nursing care facilities in the area were required to evacuate. Even at nearby medical institutions and facilities that escaped evacuation, medical services had to be limited because of a reduction in staff, due to concerns about radiation, and the reduced inflow of logistics and a shortage of necessary supplies [2]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion