Introduction According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (2012), disaster epidemiology refers to the use of epidemiology for assessing the short and long term health effects of disaster in order to predict consequences for future disasters. However, it is futile to understand the health effects of disasters outside a concise definition of what actually constitutes natural disasters. To this effect, Watson, Gayer, & Connolly (2007) define natural disasters as catastrophic events of geologic, hydrologic, and atmospheric origins such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, drought, floods, tsunamis, and landslides. Khan, Schwartz, & Johnson (2014) also provide a simpler definition stating that natural disasters are sudden and unexpected natural catastrophes that result in great damage and loss of life. There occurrence is characterized by either a slow or rapid onset. Over the past two decades, natural disasters have been responsible for killing millions of people, besides adversely affecting the lives of over a billion people from a socio-economic perspective (Lemonick, 2011).
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According to the CDC (2012), risk factors range from environmental health, behavioral health, mental health, injury, chronic diseases, to acute and communicable diseases. All these risk factors become prevalent after the initial occurrence of a natural disaster. Hence, in this regard, it is of utmost importance for humanities to not only understand them, but also to develop ways or mitigating their occurrence in the event disaster strikes. Therefore, the purpose of this literature is to examine the epidemiological effects after effects of natural disasters and the preparation efforts undertaken by the government, health groups, and other relevant stakeholders in relation to the mitigation of resulting health
According to the CDC (2012), risk factors range from environmental health, behavioral health, mental health, injury, chronic diseases, to acute and communicable diseases. All these risk factors become prevalent after the initial occurrence of a natural disaster. Hence, in this regard, it is of utmost importance for humanities to not only understand them, but also to develop ways or mitigating their occurrence in the event disaster strikes. Therefore, the purpose of this literature is to examine the epidemiological effects after effects of natural disasters and the preparation efforts undertaken by the government, health groups, and other relevant stakeholders in relation to the mitigation of resulting health