Valencia floods: How to prevent a natural disaster from becoming a public health crisis

By Óscar Zurriaga, Profesor Titular. Dpto. de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública (UV). Unid. Mixta Investigación Enfermedades Raras FISABIO-UVEG. CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Universitat de València
Ángela Domínguez García, Catedrática Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Departamento de Medicina, CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Universitat de Barcelona
Eduardo Briones Pérez de la Blanca, Médico epidemiólogo, especialista en Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Junta de Andalucía
Federico Eduardo Arribas Monzón, Jefe de Servicio de Evaluación y Acreditación Sanitaria. Dirección General de Asistencia Sanitaria, Departamento de Sanidad de Aragón
Maria João Forjaz, Investigadora en salud pública, Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Pello Latasa, Responsable de Vigilancia en Salud Pública, Osakidetza - Servicio Vasco de Salud
Pere Godoy, Medical Doctor, Professor Public Health, Universitat de Lleida
Susana Monge Corella, Científica Titular. Grupo de epidemiología y vigilancia de virus respiratorios. Centro Nacional de Epidemiología., Instituto de Salud Carlos III

On 29 October, the unthinkable happened to thousands of people in the province of Valencia – in a matter of minutes, they went from going about their daily lives to being submerged or swept away by floodwaters, with many losing everything they own. A massive area of both countryside and densely populated town centres, home to around 300,000 people, has been ravaged by the floods.

Almost two weeks after the disaster, with cleanup and recovery…

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