[Mortality and morbidity from disasters in Spain].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze disaster episodes in Spain between 1950 and 2005 in order to characterize their pattern and evaluate their impact on morbidity and mortality.


METHODS
We performed an observational retrospective study using the United Nations' definition of disaster. A disaster was considered as each episode, natural or technological, causing more than 15 deaths and/or more than 50 wounded persons. Epidemic and environmental disasters were excluded.


RESULTS
The frequency of disasters has increased in Spain, especially during the four last decades. The frequency of disasters doubles in the second semester of the year and shows wide geographical variation. Spain has a mixed disaster pattern, with a predominance of technological disasters, which are 4.5 times more frequent than natural disasters. The most frequent type of natural disaster in Spain is flooding and most frequent technological disasters are traffic accidents.
Arcos González
Pedro
P
Unidad de Investigación en Emergencias y Desastres (UIED), Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Oviedo, España. arcos@uniovi.es
Pérez-Berrocal Alonso
Jorge
J
Castro Delgado
Rafael
R
Cadavieco González
Beatriz
B
D004190:Disasters / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology