Mortality in flood disasters

Abstract

There has been a considerable increase in the number of large floods and in severity of their impacts in the recent decades, worldwide. Although floods are not commonly perceived as public health events, they do clearly lead to deterioration of human health over vast flood-aff ected areas. Flood-related morbidity and mortality raise considerable concern. Each year, the global number of flood-related fatalities is in the range of thousands. © World Health Organization 2005.