2. Disaster risk analysis in health

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analisis riesgo desastresAs discussed in Module 1, there is a relationship between type of adverse event and the health effects it causes. For this reason, the health sector’s disaster management program should have a clear knowledge of the hazards that are present in the country or specific region in question, whether their origin is natural (geological or hydrometeorological), technological (chemical or radiological/nuclear accidents), social (violence, war, subversive activity), or biological (major epidemics). Existing vulnerabilities should also be identified—both the vulnerability of the population and the vulnerability of the health services—to ascertain the magnitude of potential risk to the health sector. This information is key to setting priorities and defining the actions of the health sector’s national disaster management program.


A wide range of information is needed to properly identify risks, and this requires collaboration among the health sector, the scientific community, universities and research institutions, environmental experts, engineers, urban planners, fire department brigades, private industry, and political entities. Moreover, since the probability of risk factors and the vulnerability of systems are continually changing, it is important to update the analysis of these factors In this connection, see the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2011.