History of Disaster Epidemiology: 1960–2015

Disaster epidemiology is not a new field, and the methods utilized to conduct disaster epidemiology studies are no different than the methods used in everyday applied public health research and investigations. The only difference is the circumstances under which the methods are employed. The challenges of conducting epidemiologic studies during a disaster are many—limited access to study sites and populations; access to reliable electricity, connectivity, and communication systems; and typically a short time frame in which to gather, analyze, and report data to decision-makers so that it can be utilized to prevent morbidity and mortality. However, many innovations have been developed by disaster epidemiologists to meet these challenges. Rapid needs assessments, innovative surveillance and tracking systems, and adapted epidemiologic study designs are some of the innovations that will be discussed in this chapter.