Mortality in the 2011 tsunami in Japan.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

On 11 March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake caused a huge tsunami that struck Northeast Japan, resulting in nearly 20 000 deaths. We investigated mortality patterns by age, sex, and region in the 3 most severely affected prefectures.

Methods

Using police data on earthquake victims in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures, mortality rates by sex, age group, and region were calculated, and regional variability in mortality rates across age groups was compared using rate ratios (RRs), with the rates in Iwate as the reference.

Results

In all regions, age-specific mortality showed a tendency to increase with age; there were no sex differences. Among residents of Iwate, mortality was markedly lower among school-aged children as compared with other age group

SUBMITTER: Nakahara S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3700238 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature