Timing of mortality among internally displaced persons due to the tsunami in Sri Lanka: cross sectional household survey.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the distribution of mortality among internally displaced persons during two and a half months after the Indian Ocean tsunami, 2004.


METHODS
Cross sectional household survey with retrospective cohort analysis of mortality.


METHODS
Camps for internally displaced persons due to the tsunami in an eastern coastal district of Sri Lanka.


METHODS
3533 people from 859 households accommodated in 13 camps.


METHODS
All cause death and number of missing people.


RESULTS
446 deaths and 11 missing people were reported after the 2004 tsunami, of which most (99%) occurred on the day of the tsunami or within three days thereafter. No deaths were reported for the two and a half month period starting one week after the tsunami.


CONCLUSIONS
Most mortality after the 2004 tsunami occurred within the first few days of the disaster and was low in the study area.
Nishikiori
Nobuyuki
N
Research Center for Tropical Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan. nobu@net.nagasaki-u.ac.jp
Abe
Tomoko
T
Costa
Dehiwala G M
DG
Dharmaratne
Samath D
SD
Kunii
Osamu
O
Moji
Kazuhiko
K
D004190:Disasters / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006801:Humans; D019156:Indian Ocean; D009026:Mortality; D012036:Refugees / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors