Mt. Ontake (3,067m), Japan's second-highest volcano, erupted without warning on September 26, 2014, leaving 58 dead and five people missing. More than 20,000 rescue workers were mobilized from all over the country. The findings on rescue operations and subsequent advances in emergency preparedness and rescuer education are presented.

After the disaster, public data was obtained from the Cabinet Office by conducting interviews. Photographs and videos were collected from the military, the police, and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency sources, as well as from local governments and the Volcano Research Institute.

The volcanic eruption received governmental disaster designation. The leading cause of death and the rescued survivors were traumatic injuries caused by sudden falling rocks. Volcanic tremors and landform upheaval were observed immediately before the eruption, but they were too short-lived to lead to evacuation. The location of the victims at the time of the eruptions seemed to be the most critical determinant of survival. What medical care could do at this point was very limited. No rescuers died, but some suffered acute mountain sickness and hypothermia. In the following year, education for rescue organizations began, and volcano information was released to the public in real-time as raw data, regardless of whether they could be understood. In 2022, shelters were constructed near the summit of Mt. Ontake.

A severe volcanic eruption leaves little time for people to evacuate, and emergency medical care can play only a minor role. In Japan, where there are many volcanoes, measures are underway to support self-help to increase the possibility of saving lives for climbers and rescuers in an eruption that is difficult to predict.

As populations worldwide are experiencing more frequent and intense weather and climate extremes, many professionals of the WADEM community are at the frontline of managing compounding and cascading impacts on physical and mental health. Vulnerable, isolated, and marginalized people are the most affected by climate and weather threats. The elderly and children faced 3.7 billion more life-threatening heatwave days in 2021 than annually in 1986-2005 increasing the need for emergency care on a large scale.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO), together with partners from health agencies, climate services, academia and other sectors are collaborating to accelerate the use of climate, weather and environmental science and services for better health protection. A selection of key resources and tools will be highlighted that can be used by the WADEM community to better understand, anticipate, and manage health risks from extreme weather and climate.

Participants will learn about the new WHO-WMO ClimaHealth Portal, a global knowledge and action hub with huge potential for facilitating learning and action to better protect health from climate risks. Tools and resources include the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN) Checklist and Technical Brief for improved heatwave preparedness and response in the context of COVID-19, and a new WHO Guidance Document on Measuring the Climate Resilience of Health Systems providing a framework and indicators for assessing and protecting health systems from climate threats.

As extreme weather intensifies, integrated climate-informed services for the health sector including multi-hazard early warning systems and action plans, as well as strengthened partnerships between the health community and hydrometeorological services are indispensable to further restrict adverse health impacts. Accelerating the uptake and upscale of existing tools and resources is urgently needed to meet the increasing health and societal challenges caused by climate change and weather extremes.

Studies on the impact of disasters on communities often occur months to years after the event. Pre- and peri-event details collected from participants may be imprecise or even unobtainable as memory is affected by time. More so, delays in data collection can introduce recall bias when participants with adverse outcomes provide differential responses about exposure. In 2019, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and RTI International designed a study to mitigate these issues by surveying within weeks of a natural disaster to examine associations of preparedness to peri-event exposures, emergency services, and health.

Given the unpredictability of natural disasters, a significant challenge for the team was to plan a rigorous study design applicable to several types of severe weather events. This presentation will review our forethought, planning, and resulting strategy, including important considerations related to IRB and OMB applications with unspecified disaster/location details. We will share decision-making on sampling, instrumentation, communication materials, and multi-mode data collection procedures. The impact of delays due to COVID-19 and waiting to select a disaster that met a prior disaster inclusion/exclusion criteria will also be presented.

Results are forthcoming. We will present details on RTI’s 2022 survey implementation in the Fort Myers area of Florida within weeks of Hurricane Ian landfall including information on our final sampling strategy, field period, and outcome rates among key community groups and exposures.

Conclusions will be presented. Pragmatic lessons learned related to timeline, labor, and other resources will be used to compare our strategy to rapid needs assessment methodology as well as more typical self-report surveys with later post-disaster data collection periods. Researchers working in emergency preparedness/response and disaster epidemiology will have gained a solid understanding of the advantages and disadvantages to planning studies for the immediate aftermath of undefined disasters.

The COVID-19 pandemic public health strategy to reduce community transmission in Australia included unprecedented use of quarantine facilities to separate those at risk and those with the infection from the rest of the community. No standardized approach to quarantine facilities existed resulting in different models of care emerging across the country. The Northern Territory Howard Springs Quarantine Facility was a large-scale quarantine and isolation operation which hosted over 33,000 domestic and international arrivals with zero COVID-19 transmission recorded from residents to staff for the duration of its operation. The facility was deemed the gold standard model of care and the aim of this project was to distill the important elements of that model of care into an evidence-based tool kit for future use as an open access, online resource. The toolkit was a result of intense data and information analysis including resident, staff and leadership surveys, policies and procedures and results of audits of the facility during its operation.

This project to develop an online, open access evidence-based toolkit forms part of the Translational Research to Improve Health Outcomes project funded by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund. The methodology included mixed methods with an underpinning grounded theory approach to analyze de-identified audit data and information from the quarantine and isolation facility operational period. Staff and leadership team surveys were conducted to explore experiences of site functions and infrastructure. A (non-experimental) descriptive design allowed collation and statistical analysis of information recognizing the variables in the data and information.

The toolbox includes a resident centered quarantine care model, infection, prevention and control strategies for health professionals and non-health staff, quarantine communication model and presentation of core challenges (rapid recruitment, environmental factors, workforce resilience).

The resulting online web resource presents evidence-based core strategies and resources for implementation in future pandemics.

Public health agencies’ ability to monitor outbreaks requires government mandated reporting from healthcare institutions, with consequences for noncompliance. This study aims to characterize the burden on acute care hospitals from government reporting requirements during COVID-19 pandemic.

A retrospective study over a 14-month period (April 27th, 2020 to June 10th, 2021) during the COVID-19 pandemic examining the log of changes and requirements of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Teletracking, an online system for hospital reporting. We interviewed 33 individuals including hospital leadership, clinical directors, and infection control personnel in a New York City (NYC) small independent hospital (SIH).

During the study period, reporting requirements increased from five daily reports to 29 daily reports across eleven different agencies, all with separate reporting systems. Reporting schedules varied from several times a day to intermittently. Typically, new reporting requirements were conveyed to institutional contacts at 8 AM with a required deadline of 1 PM the same day. The continuous changes reportedly made it difficult to develop stable data gathering and workflow processes. There was a reported lack of clarity around new data elements’ definitions and different agencies employed different variables for the same measure. There were hospital penalties for missing deadlines, leading to clinical staff being diverted from patient care to meet reporting needs.

The study shows significant reporting barriers and diversion of resources away from the frontline to supply data collection during disasters. There is significant redundancy in reporting agencies and in reporting systems, each with different reporting frequencies, and variable definitions of data elements. The public health needs of a disaster response would be better served with a more coordinated, efficient system to share information without further straining the healthcare system.

Contact tracing is a core public health tool used to interrupt the transmission of pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2. To increase the effectiveness of contact tracing, Greek health authorities used an electronic platform to aid traditional manual contact tracing to track individuals who have come in close contact with identified COVID-19 patients.

Contact tracing was implemented from the beginning of the pandemic in Greece. The aim was to identify and quarantine all the contacts of confirmed cases. The electronic database was designed following all the security protocols and national regulations on the use and protection of personal data. To assess factors associated with infectivity and susceptibility to infection in this analysis, we used contact tracing data with a sampling date between October 1 to December 9, 2020.

During the sampling period, 29,385 laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases and 64,608 traced contacts were identified. A median number of two persons were traced per index case. The secondary attack rate was 17.4% (95% CI: 17.0-17.8). Contacts aged 0–11 and 12–17 years were less susceptible to infection than adults 65 years or older (odds ratio (OR) [95% CI]: 0.28 [0.26–0.32] and 0.44 [0.40–0.49], respectively). Index cases aged 65 years or older were more likely to infect their contacts than other adults or children/adolescents.

Contact tracing is a key strategy to interrupt chains of transmission and to promote early diagnosis. The data collected in this process could be used to estimate epidemiological parameters of interest and to better understand factors associated with infection and susceptibility to infection. Precautions are necessary for individuals 65 or older as they have higher infectivity and susceptibility in contact with their peers.

Hospital waste in the United States (US) generates 7,000 tonnes of waste daily. During the pandemic, hospitals had to increase the amount of personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by healthcare providers. The aim of this study was to compare pre and present COVID-19 waste generation amounts in comparison with hospital census and PPE purchased.

This research examined the solid waste generated at a level II trauma center from January 2018-December 2021. Data examined included: the amount of solid waste generated, monthly patient census, COVID-19 census, policy changes, and the amount of purchased PPE pre and during the pandemic.

PPE product numbers purchased varied with a noticeable increase in mask and gown ordering. The number of admitted COVID-19 patients peaked at 46. Hospital waste tonnage fluctuated but did not show a statistically significant change.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused hospitals to increase their PPE posture to help safeguard its employees and patients. In our hospital setting, the use of PPE increased and overall hospital census decreased. This has profound implications for not only the hospital’s revenue, but also with less census volume, there was curiously the same amount of hospital waste generated. This work needs to be continued in other healthcare PPE heavy settings, to better understand the downstream consequences of infectious diseases on responsible hospital waste management and environmental sustainability.

The recently approved COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 provided a glimmer of hope to all people who had isolated, or lost loved ones to the SARS-COVID-19 virus. Clinics were rapidly established in non-traditional settings in order to meet the need in the early phases of the vaccination program. Contractor support provided rapid personnel support to meet the needs of many locations in several states. Consideration of basic infrastructure requirements such as Incident Command, security, HVAC, electricity, water and sanitation were part of a state supported vaccine clinic in an economically challenged neighborhood in downtown Miami, Florida.

Topics to be discussed include staffing mixes, language/cultural concerns, handheld EMR applications, patient flow, immunization practices, testing practices, vaccine security, adverse event management, infection control procedures and the ever present supply chain challenges. The discussion will be framed from the perspective of the Chief Nursing Officer in an ever challenging vaccine environment.

Over 20,000 vaccines were successfully provided in a little over three months, and a community-based Student Internship program was also implemented.

Vaccine administration is possible in a variety of settings. Foundational principles of vaccine security, management of the environment and provision of safety and security for patients and staff will help to ensure a successful public health campaign.

This Australian-first project explored residents’ values about living in one of Australia’s extreme bushfire risk areas. The project team developed the Upper Beaconsfield Bushfire and Biodiversity Tool (UPB&BT) which delivers tailored local information for residents living in the area. Designed to empower residents to make informed decisions, this user-friendly, online tool visualizes a community’s devastating bushfire history, reveals residents’ values about living in this area, and provides evidence-based actions to protect biodiversity and manage bushfire fuels on private property.

Structured decision-making methodology informed the survey design to elicit residents’ values about biodiversity protection and bushfire risk reduction, by inviting approximately 3000 residents to complete the survey. This community-led project applied a participatory approach by inviting collaboration between government, agencies, universities, and community representatives.

Key results revealed 75% of respondents valued nature and lifestyle. 51% saw bushfire risk as an important factor for managing vegetation on private land, while 65% either mow or slash to manage vegetation. Synthesized data informed the content of the UPB&BT, which sourced evidence-based knowledge or specialists’ expertise to provide tailored content and actions that met residents’ diverse values. This included the consequences of chosen actions, which helps residents understand the impact of their decisions. However, results identified confusion in roles and responsibilities.

This ground-breaking community-led, government-funded project joined with government, agencies, universities, and community representatives to develop a new bushfire and biodiversity tool to help residents understand biodiversity protection and bushfire management in their local community. Results aim to empower residents to make their own evidence-based and informed choices about managing their properties, thereby contributing to the community good. They decide what is important and identify available actions and their potential consequences. Other communities could replicate this process to localize their own disaster risk reduction strategies.

There is growing evidence that disasters may increase the risk of developing chronic diseases, including diabetes, dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease. However, how much disaster exposure specifically affects chronic disease risk is unknown. This presentation introduces the study protocol for the Risk of hEalth ConditiOn AdVerse Events after disasteRs (RECOVER) Cohort Study, which addresses this gap.

The primary aim of RECOVER is to determine the extent to which disaster exposure specifically increases the risk of developing chronic disease (Aim 1). The secondary aims of the study are to determine if the nature, duration and severity of disaster exposure are risk factors for disease (Aim 2), to map mediators of post-disaster chronic disease risk (Aim 3), and to identify potential biomarkers of post-disaster chronic disease risk (Aim 4). RECOVER will recruit over 6000 adults (1:1 disaster exposed vs unexposed) in Australia to a nationally representative cohort for longitudinal follow-up. Detailed data will be obtained annually on disaster exposure, demographic, social and health factors. The primary health outcome (Aim 1) of chronic disease will be defined as new, incident diabetes, cardiovascular or respiratory disease, and will be ascertained through data linkage with the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. A biomarker sub-stream will include ~1,000 participants who provide a hair and saliva sample for cortisol and epigenetic analysis.

N/A

There is an urgent need for detailed individual-level data to analyze the nature of the association between disaster exposure and chronic disease. In 2020 alone, 16.8 million Australians were exposed to disasters. The frequency and severity of disasters are only expected to grow due to climate change. As the first prospective cohort study to longitudinally track individual-level disaster exposure and chronic disease outcomes, RECOVER will fill a critical evidence gap.

Disaster medicine aims to prevent and respond to devastating events. Health professionals need to understand their role in disaster management to effectively respond when disasters occur. The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge level, preparedness, and the training gaps regarding disaster medicine among health professionals and medical students/interns in Makkah (Mecca) city.

This is an online-based cross-sectional study design conducted in Makkah City. Physicians, nurses, and medical students/interns were included. Continuous variables were reported as means and confidence intervals. While categorical variables were reported as frequencies and percentages. Data were analyzed by Chi-square and Anova test as appropriate.

Of the 651 participants, the mean age was 27.69 (95% CI 28.13 to 27.24) with 360 (55.30%) participants being males. The mean average score of disaster medicine knowledge was 7.90 (95% CI 8.29-7.51) for medical students/interns, 8.12 (95% CI 8.77-7.47) for nurses, and 4.85 (95% CI 5.21-4.49) for physicians (P <0.0001). The majority of participants selected first-aid skills and triage and evacuation as crucial aspects to be covered in learning disaster medicine, 406 (62.4%) and 373 (57.3%) respectively.

In this study, the level of knowledge regarding disaster management is average among the healthcare population. Certain aspects of disaster medicine are needed to be focused on such as first-aid skills and triage and evacuation. Incorporating disaster medicine as part of training programs is a demand.

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created a publicly available National Risk Index (NRI) using natural disaster and community risk factor data to provide numeric and visual representations of communities’ disaster risk. Of particular interest is the index’s use of the social vulnerability and community resilience variables. This study’s purpose was to identify and explore differences in vulnerability and resilience based on racial demographic data at the census tract level. By identifying communities at the highest risk, we can address modifiable risk factors to improve natural disaster outcomes for vulnerable populations.

This project used merged data from the US Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey and source data for the FEMA NRI. Using Microsoft Excel, we created scatter plots of the social vulnerability and community resilience variables by census tract and predominant racial group, and calculated the mean, standard deviation, and statistical difference between those variables by race.

In census tracts where Native Americans made up ≥50% of the population:

1) There was a positive linear association between percent of Native Americans and increased social vulnerability.

2) The average social vulnerability score (ASV) was significantly higher (ASV = 55.74) than for predominantly White tracts (ASV = 31.43) (p < 0.001).

3) The average risk score (ARS) was significantly higher (ARS = 30.18) compared to predominantly White tracts (ARS = 16.98) (p < 0.001).

4) The average resilience index score (ARIS) was significantly lower (ARIS = 51.83) than predominantly White tracts (ARIS = 55.08) (p < 0.001).

Results show that census tracts with predominantly Native American populations face significantly higher natural disaster risk and social vulnerability, and have significantly lower resilience scores compared to predominantly White tracts. Using modifiable factors to improve community resilience and decrease social vulnerability, the US can better protect communities at high natural disaster risk.

Accidental hypothermia occurs very rarely. Japan experienced hypothermic victims in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. In northern Japan, where the largest class of earthquakes and tsunamis are estimated, study for countermeasures has been advanced. The progression of hypothermia varies significantly by individual differences and environmental factors, and it is considered to be challenging to assess its damage. We present the findings that can be the basis for damage estimation from the data of hypothermia victims experienced in mountain rescue.

From 2002 to 2020, we examined ten fatal cases of hypothermic witnessed respiratory arrest (HWRA) by companions, which led to subsequent cardiac arrest among 164 cases from mountain rescue. We collected the time course of the deceased from rescue records and calculated the time from cold exposure to symptom, exposure to incapable, and exposure to HWRA. Temperature and wind speed data were extrapolated from nearby AMEDAS and upper-air weather records, and the wind chill index (WCI) was calculated.

We obtained the time course data in seven cases of ten, five males and two females between 21 and 67 years old. The weather conditions where the seven cases were placed were -5 to -30°C of WCI. The shortest time from cold exposure to incapacity was 65 minutes, 42.9% (3/7) within 180 minutes, and the fastest time to HWRA was 90 minutes, with 57.1% (4/7) between 10 and 12 and half hours.

For disaster evacuation measures, both evacuees and rescuers need specific indicators to refer to. From very little but valuable data, we consider that rescue within 10 hours is necessary for lifesaving in similar conditions. Additionally, increasing the number of cases that become incapacitated within 1-3 hours can be valuable information for considering the location of the evacuation shelter and evacuation plan.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games (B2022) was hosted by Birmingham, United Kingdom (UK) from July, 28 2022 to August 8, 2022. As a major global sporting event and mass gathering, B2022 included over 4,500 athletes (from 72 countries and territories) and attracted 1.5 million spectators. Robust public health surveillance and support for health protection incidents was required from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to protect the health of both those directly involved in B2022, and the local population.

UKHSA surveillance activities in the UK West Midlands region were enhanced, utilizing lessons learned from the response to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 2021 G7 Summit (hosted in England). Enhancements included: adaptation of existing and development of new methods for the identification of increased activity of a range of pathogens/diseases/conditions of particular concern to a mass gathering; standardized daily situation reporting to inform both public health action and the B2022 organizing committee. Three streams of routine UKHSA surveillance data were assessed each day: a UKHSA health protection/clinical management system, statutory laboratory reports of infection, and syndromic surveillance. Bespoke surveillance was also implemented using B2022 health data sources.

Enhanced daily surveillance activities successfully met the need for next-day public health surveillance and reporting during B2022. No outbreaks or incidents of public health significance to the Games were identified. Syndromic surveillance reported an increased impact on local health services due to periods of extremely hot weather before and following the competition period, although these impacts were not unique to the Birmingham area.

Surveillance and epidemiology reporting for B2022 provided reassurance there were no incidents/outbreaks of public health significance to the Games. The enhancements made will inform future routine surveillance and reporting activities and will be employed for similar activities during future mass gathering events.

The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan have suggested local governments establish Health, Medical, and Welfare Coordination Headquarters at the time of disaster. Gathering and processing information is one of the key functions of the headquarters. The study aims to clarify the required functions of information for the headquarters.

A series of interview surveys and observations were conducted, including for local governments and experts in disaster response. The contents were analyzed and required standard functions and procedures had been extracted.

The most important aspect of information gathering is its use in decision-making in matching needs and demands with resources. Needs and demands are based on damage and situation of the casualties. Resources can be categorized into human, material, financial, and informational. Because the headquarters have to process much information, it is important to clarify the objective and strategy of disaster response. The headquarters gather various quantitative and qualitative information using information and communication technology, telephone, meeting and other methods. Qualitative information can be categorized as: expected, surprising (unexpected), and unusual (rare) contents. For expected contents, quantification or estimation of needs from information in normal time or limited information immediately after the disaster and displaying or further analyzing by geographic information systems is useful. By surprising contents or case reports, additional responses or strategies will need to be reviewed.

The procedure, including information gathering and decision-making, follows the OODA (observe, orient, decide, act) loop. According to our mail survey of all 47 prefectural local governments in 2019, 89% were planning to establish the headquarters. However, only 36% had prepared a manual. Using the results of this study, a standard strategic manual for the operations of the headquarters is being developed and brushed up.

The war in Ukraine has not only led to complex emergencies and humanitarian crises but also other severe consequences, such as the chemical industry disaster. The chemical industry is one of the principal sectors of Ukraine’s economy, and it is estimated that Ukraine has a total volume of hazardous chemical accumulation of more than 5.1 billion tons. An attack on chemical industrial facilities will lead to catastrophic consequences. This thesis aims to study the disaster risk of chemical industrial facilities and its consequences on public health and the environment during complex emergencies in Ukraine.

Observational cross-sectional risk assessment method was utilized to assess hazard, vulnerability, and exposure of the chemical industry in Donetsk Oblast, Luhansk Oblast, Kherson Oblast, Zaporizka Oblast, and Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. Data on chemical factories in Eastern Ukraine was collected on Google Maps and Google Earth in May 2022. Lastly, the semi-quantitative risk assessment method was utilized to describe the risk from the perspective of consequences for life and health, the environment, property, and speed of development.

Chemical industry disaster risks in Ukraine during complex emergencies in Donetsk Oblast, Luhansk Oblast, Kherson Oblast, Zaporizka Oblast, and Kharkiv Oblast are high in terms of likelihood and consequences to life and health, environment, property, and speed of development.

This risk assessment enables potential chemical disaster risks in Ukraine during complex emergencies to be understood and communicated by the local community, the first responder, and till policy makers. Therefore, enable a whole-of-society approach involving risk management, disaster preparedness, and response. Further detailed risk assessment on the type of chemical and their hazards should be conducted once the situation permits.

The 'all hazards' approach that the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction calls for ‘to strengthen technical and scientific capacity to capitalize on and consolidate existing knowledge and to develop and apply methodologies and models to assess disaster risks, vulnerabilities and exposure to all hazards;’ (paragraph 24 j)’ needed clarification.

Following extensive scientific consultation, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the International Science Council (ISC) published in 2020 the UNDRR/ISC Hazard definition and classification review. This was followed by the UNDRR/ISC Hazard Information Profiles: Supplement to UNDRR-ISC Hazard Definition & Classification Review–Technical Report (2021). This Supplement consists of a description of each of the 302 hazard information profiles (HIPs), which was developed using a consultative process by scientists and experts across the globe.

The UNDRR/ISC Hazard Information Profiles (HIPs) provide a common set of hazard definitions and other information relevant to informing the strategies and actions of governments and stakeholders, and for managing the risks associated with hazards. They can be used whenever and wherever for assessment, planning, and action related to hazards. As such, they relate to the design, implementation, and monitoring of disaster risk reduction and risk-informed investments at all levels.

The science-based structure of the HIPs serves to avoid confusion and duplication in the classification of hazards. It also promotes up-to-date information derived from the ‘data revolution, rigorous accountability mechanisms and renewed global partnerships’. The HIPs support the implementation of not only the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, but also the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030, the Paris Agreement and International Health Regulations (2005). In 2022 an International Science Council Policy Brief was published describing the use of UNDRR/ISC HIPs to manage risk and implement the Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction.

The ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Disaster Health Management (ALD on DHM) was adopted at the 31st Summit in Manila in 2017. The Plan of Action (POA) to implement the ALD on DHM was adopted by the ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting in 2019, with Regional Collaboration Committee on Disaster Health Management (RCCDHM) established as a primary implementing mechanism under the purview of ASEAN Health Cluster two and Senior Officials Meeting on Health Development (SOMHD) to operationalize the implementation of the POA with its priority areas and targets to be realized by 2025. The first RCCDHM Meeting was organized in-person in Bangkok in 2020. The RCCDHM is composed of two representatives from each ASEAN member state (AMS), one representative from the ASEAN Secretariat and one representative from AHA Centre, and the secretariat role for the RCCDHM is carried out by the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. The RCCDHM Meeting decided to develop the Matrix of Detailed Activities (MDA) addressing the five priority areas of the POA-ALD on DHM.

The RCCDHM Meeting organized a core group consisting of the Philippines and Thailand to develop the MDA which identifies information on activities, expected outputs, indicators, lead country, source of support, and the timeline for achieving objectives of the POA. During the COVID-19 pandemic, online communication was applied to discuss and coordinate among the AMS.

The core group developed the draft MDA in consultation with the ASEAN Secretariat/Health Division. After a series of discussions, the RCCDHM endorsed the MDA which confirms necessary activities and commitment of AMS.

The review and endorsement process for the MDA will be elevated to the higher level meetings in the ASEAN Health sector for final approval. The RCCDHM also confirmed to strengthen collaboration with other ASEAN initiatives, non-health ASEAN sectors, UN, or other international partners, and the ARCH Project.

Heatwaves are the leading weather-related causes of deaths globally. Since the mid 20th century, the frequency and intensity of heatwaves has increased with recent reports projecting a substantial warming in temperature extremes by the end of the 21st century.

In this cross-sectional study, we attempted to assess public perception and knowledge on heatwaves. Data was collected across Pakistan among a sample of people aged 18 years and above using an online survey questionnaire. Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs were used to assess risk perception using a total of 14 statements while knowledge was measured using 12 statements. The Unadjusted Odd Ratio (UOR) and Adjusted Odd Ratio (AOR) of 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were employed through binary logistic regression. A total of twelve variables were included in the model (11 categorical and 1 continuous).

Out of the 686 participants, the majority of the people (57.73) showed high heatwaves risk perception and a high level of heatwave knowledge (59.91). The results of the multivariate regression model (AOR) showed that participants within the Secondary and/or higher Secondary (Grade 9th to Grade 12th) were less likely (OR=0.304) perceiving heatwaves risk compared to the reference group (Basic/Elementary Level i.e., (Grade 1st to Grade 8th)). As the number of participants who lives with others and who heard about heatwaves increases, the participants are more likely to perceive high heatwaves risk. For instance, participants who lives with others and have heard about heatwaves perceived heatwaves risk 1.982 and 1.816 times higher respectively than those who live alone and those who have not heard about heatwaves before.

HBM can be useful in designing interventions aimed at increasing people’s adaptive behaviors during heat waves. This study provides useful insights to the policymakers across Pakistan in understanding the public’s perception that can lead to informed decision-making.

The differential impact and needs of women during disasters are highlighted in contemporary research, there is limited understanding of the distinctive contribution they make and the ways they cope. Women are the key drivers of livelihood, therefore, the economic losses resulting from natural hazards may have massive impacts on their mental health. This study examines how the self-help women's groups in rural Nepalese communities provide economic, social, socio-political, and public-health support to build safer, sustainable, and resilient communities.

In-depth open-ended interviews were conducted between January 2021–April 2021 with grassroots women leaders(n=8) representing their (women’s/mother’s) group inquiring about their activities related to risk reduction and perspectives on how they cope during natural hazards. The findings were analyzed and discussed using two analytical frameworks namely, the Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) and Bronfenbrenner’s Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) as scaffolds. Data analysis followed the thematic analysis technique.

Two major themes emerged from the in-depth interviews: 1) Women are doing their part and 2) Help-seeking behavior as a barrier and facilitator. The traditional female household roles such as cooking, feeding, and caring during pre-disaster states are extended to rescuing, protecting, laborious cleaning, and providing physical and emotional support during disasters. The pre-and post-disaster care responsibility and help-seeking behavior have implications for health, safety, well-being and sustainability. The findings also suggest the inevitability of self-care for women during and post-disasters.

The care roles of women involve both livelihood and health benefits for the family and the entire community. To mitigate the physical and mental health burden for women amplified during natural hazards, self-care should be a critical component of advocacy in disaster awareness campaigns and help-seeking behavior should be promoted as a strength rather than insufficiency.