Health Burden of Extreme Weather in Thailand
Jiraphan Plongmak a, Nathsuda Pumijumnong a and Kanitta Bundhamcharoen b
a Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, Nakhonpathom 73170, Thailand
b International Health Policy Program, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi 11000, Thailand
Abstract
This study assessed and evaluated the variation of the health burden in response to extreme weather events that occurred in Thailand from 2006 to 2010. The health burden was assessed using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost and deaths from injuries as its indicators. Thailand has a DALYs lost of over 16,274 from extreme weather events. Extreme weather events include floods, flash floods, and severe storms, and most of the DALYs in Thailand were lost from floods (approximately 12,872 DALYs). The second most impactful weather event was severe storms, with losses of approximately 2,019 DALYs, followed by flash floods, which caused losses of about 1,383 DALYs. Climate change is a cause of extreme weather events, and a relationship between climate and health has been found worldwide. Improved long-term, high-quality data sets are needed to better analyze and improve accuracy of the health burden.
Keywords: health burden; extreme weather; DALYs, Thailand
EnvironmentAsia
The international journal published by the Thai Society of Higher Education Institutes on Environment
Available online at www.tshe.org/EA EnvironmentAsia 6(1) (2013) 6-12
