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Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Miami-Dade County Following Hurricane Irma in 2017

Part of: Hurricanes Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 July 2018

Alyssa M Falise ,
Isabel Griffin ,
Danielle Fernandez ,
Xeniamaria Rodriguez ,
Emily Moore ,
Anne Barrera ,
Juan Suarez ,
Lidice Cutie  and
Guoyan Zhang
Alyssa M Falise*
Affiliation:
Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Immunization Services, Miami, Florida
Isabel Griffin
Affiliation:
Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Immunization Services, Miami, Florida
Danielle Fernandez
Affiliation:
Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Immunization Services, Miami, Florida
Xeniamaria Rodriguez
Affiliation:
Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Immunization Services, Miami, Florida
Emily Moore
Affiliation:
Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Immunization Services, Miami, Florida
Anne Barrera
Affiliation:
Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Immunization Services, Miami, Florida
Juan Suarez
Affiliation:
Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Immunization Services, Miami, Florida
Lidice Cutie
Affiliation:
Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue, Doral, Florida
Guoyan Zhang
Affiliation:
Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Immunization Services, Miami, Florida
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Alyssa M. Falise, Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, 8175 NW 12th Street, Suite 314, Miami, FL 33126 (e-mail: Alyssa.Falise@flhealth.gov).
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Abstract

Objective

The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County (DOH-Miami-Dade) investigated 106 reported carbon monoxide (CO) exposures over a 9-day timeframe after Hurricane Irma. This report evaluates risk factors for CO poisoning and the importance of heightened surveillance following natural disasters.

Methods

Data on CO poisoning cases from September 9 to 18, 2017 were extracted from Merlin, the Florida Department of Health Surveillance System. Medical records were obtained and follow-up interviews were conducted to collect data on the confirmed CO poisoning cases. Data were analyzed using SAS v9.4.

Results

Ninety-one of the 106 people exposed to CO met the case definition for CO poisoning: 64 confirmed, 7 probable, and 20 suspect cases. Eighty-eight percent of the affected individuals were evaluated in emergency departments and 11.7% received hyperbaric oxygen treatment. The most frequently reported symptoms included headache (53.3%), dizziness (50.7%), and nausea (46.7%). Three patients expired due to their exposure to CO.

Conclusions

Post Hurricane Irma, the DOH-Miami-Dade investigated numerous cases for CO exposure. By understanding who is most likely to be impacted by CO and the impact of generators’ location on people’s health, education efforts can be tailored to the population most at risk and further CO exposures and related mortalities following natural disasters can be reduced. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:94–96)

Keywords

public health surveillancenatural disastershurricaneinhalation exposure
Type
Report from the Field
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 13 , Special Issue 1: Serial Hurricanes , February 2019 , pp. 94 - 96
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2018 

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References

REFERENCES

1. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. Center for Disease Control, National Center for Environmental Health. https://www.cdc.gov/co/. Published 2017. Accessed September 30, 2017.Google Scholar
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