Written By: Satata Karmakar | Updated : February 13, 2021 1:36 PM IST
Earthquake: Multiple organ failure to hypothermia, tremors can be detrimental to your health
An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale hit Punjab on Friday night, the tremors of which were felt in the national capital and its adjoining areas.
According to the National Centre for Seismology of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the earthquake had its epicentre in Kazakhstan and struck at 10:34 pm.
No casualties or damages have been reported so far.
What is an earthquake? A quake is generally caused by a sudden slip on a fault. The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and cause the shaking that we feel.
An earthquake can cause several damages to nature - but, did you know it can also be detrimental to your health? Yes, according to the experts, exposure to an earthquake can cause several chronic illnesses and can be harmful to human health.
Trauma-related deaths and injuries from building collapses following an earthquake are extremely common, but there are several cases that have been registered over the years - where a person who was exposed to an earthquake had reportedly suffered from chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, stress, hypothermia, secondary wound infections, gangrene requiring amputation, sepsis, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multiple organ failure, crush syndrome, etc.
"Mortality and morbidity in an earthquake are not only related to an injury sustained due to collapse of buildings but also due to non-surgical problems like acute myocardial infarction, exacerbation of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, anxiety, depression, etc," a study quoted.
Experts have also confirmed that exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which is also known as COPD is extremely common among individuals who have been exposed to an earthquake. "COPD mainly arises due to the dust and pollution arising from the collapse of the buildings," one of the experts was quoted as saying.
According to the studies, huge amounts of pollutants and dust are generated when a building collapses, this can clog the air passages of the human body and raise risks of severe lung ailments. One of the major lung diseases following an earthquake can be - Fulminating noncardiogenic pulmonary edema.
In the recent past, several countries have also noted that following an earthquake the cases of diarrhoea and other communicable diseases saw a huge jump. Wondering why? It is due to the poor condition of sanitization and decaying bodies.
Apart from these one of the major health impacts of an earthquake is - mental health. Exposure to such a scene (building collapse, etc) can cause severe mental health issues. "Children are more vulnerable to mental health issues following an earthquake exposure," said an expert.
