Considerations in the Epidemiology of Earthquake Injuries

Abstract

In July, 1989, a workshop entitled “Earthquake Injury Epidemiology for Mitigation and Response” was held at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. The aim of the workshop was to gather a group of interested professionals, all directly or peripherally interested in the research, planning, mitigation, and response aspects associated with earthquake-induced injuries and deaths, to lay the foundations and begin to develop a research agenda for this emerging field. This was achieved by a combination of presentation of summary papers, discussions in small, multidisciplinary working groups, and plenary wrap-up and discussion sessions. The papers and transcriptions are available from the authors. The following paper presents a condensation and summary of the workshop, its discussions, and its important conclusions. References are cited where appropriate; much of the content reflects a condensation of the discussions.