Health impacts of windstorms
Citation: Goldman A, Eggen B, Golding B, Murray V. The health impacts of windstorms: a systematic literature review. Public Health. 2014;128(1):3-28.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: No.
Funding sources: No external funding.
What is this? In this systematic review, the authors searched for articles about the impact of windstorms on human health. They restricted their searches to articles from developed countries published in either German or English since 1946. The authors searched in May 2012 and found 69 publications, including interviews, surveys, and case-control studies.
What was found: Direct health effects from windstorms are injuries, often multiple, caused by the physical force of the wind on people or as the result of flying debris. Indirect effects during the pre- and post-impact phases of windstorms include lack of access to healthcare and medicine, exposure to dangers such as carbon monoxide and electrical risks, mental health consequences, and infections.
Implications: The authors of the review stated mortality and morbidity from windstorms could be reduced by public health warnings and education, as well as by greater awareness among health professionals. The authors called for active surveillance and improvements in reporting to monitor the health impacts of windstorms.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of country of residence and sex.
This summary was prepared by Beirut Ibrahim, checked by Jawaria Karim, and finalized by William Summerskill.