Several countries have been affected by natural hazards during the COVID-19 pandemic. The combination of the pandemic and natural hazards has led to serious challenges that include financial losses and psychosocial stress. Additionally, this compound disaster affected evacuation decision making, where to evacuate, volunteer participation in mitigation and recovery, volunteer support acceptance, and interest in other hazard risks. This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on disaster response and recovery from various types of hazards, with regard to preparedness, evacuation, volunteering, early recovery, awareness and knowledge of different types of hazards, and preparedness capacity development. This study targets hazards such as Cyclone Amphan in India, the Kumamoto flood in Japan, Typhoon Rolly in the Philippines, and the California wildfires in the U.S. This study made several recommendations, such as the fact that mental health support must be taken into consideration during COVID-19 recovery. It is necessary to improve the genral condition of evacuation centers in order to encourage people to act immediately. A pandemic situation necessitates a strong communication strategy and campaign with particular regard to the safety of evacuation centers, the necessity of a lockdown, and the duration required for it to reduce the psychological impact. Both national and local governments are expected to strengthen their disaster risk reduction (DRR) capacity, which calls for the multi-hazard management of disaster risk at all levels and across all sectors.
Disasters and climate-related risks displace millions of people each year. Planned relocation is one strategy used to address displacement and is increasingly being analyzed for the potential opportunities and challenges it creates for relocated people. However, little attention has been paid to the secondary impacts of planned relocations, and how they influence the risk, vulnerability and well-being of other groups, particularly people who live on the land that is selected for relocation sites, or in neighboring areas. This paper explores how current and potential future planned relocations in Fiji and the Philippines redistribute vulnerabilities to non-target communities who previously lived on, or alongside, relocation site land. The notion of cascading displacement is introduced to illustrate a serious consequence of planned relocations in which insecurity and displacement are re-created and perpetuated due to a failure to consider the needs of non-target groups who are directly disadvantaged by relocation processes. Insights from this paper may be used to inform future relocation policy and practice for more equitable and sustainable outcomes for all involved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
This study focuses on an arts-based mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) intervention in the form of TOT (training of trainers) conducted under the auspices of IsraAID in the aftermath of the Yolanda typhoon in the Philippines in 2013. Interviews were conducted with 10 female education and healthcare professionals, who also made drawings of their experiences. The goal was to better understand how they evaluated the training program, both for themselves and their communities. Analysis of the interviews and drawings, based on the principles of Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR), identified three main domains: (1) Supportive and inhibiting factors for participants in the training course; (2) Supportive and inhibiting factors with respect to the participants’ implementation of the training goals in their local communities; (3) Perceptions of the benefits of the training program for the participants and their communities. The discussion centers on the value of the creative process, the importance of the group in the training course and in the context of multiculturalism, and the impact these factors in interventions applying the TOT model.
The present study examined the measurement and antecedents of positive mental health in people who concurrently experienced two disasters of different nature (i.e., typhoons and COVID-19 crisis), focusing on the survivors of typhoons Vamco and Goni that hit the Philippines in November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we investigated the psychometric prop-erties of Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), a well-validated measure of positive mental health dimensions (i.e., emotional, social, and psychological well-being) by: 1) comparing the structural validity of three measurement models including a single-factor, bifactor, and three-factor solutions of positive mental health; 2) looking into the criterion validity through corre-lating the MHC-SF subscales with relevant measures; and 3) calculating for item reliability. Second, we examined the mediating role of social responsibility in the positive influence of community resilience on the three dimensions of positive mental health. Using 447 participants, with ages ranging from 18 to 70 years old, confirmatory factor analysis showed that compared to the single-factor and the bifactor models, the intercorrelated three-factor model of MHC-SF has the best model fit and most stable factor loadings. MHC-SF subscales correlated with relevant measures indicating criterion validity and yielded excellent internal consistency for all subscales. Additionally, results showed that social responsibility mediated the positive impact of community resilience on emotional, social, and psychological well-being of Filipinos in times of great ad-versities. The findings were discussed within the context of extreme weather events and the COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines, highlighting implications on disaster preparedness and mental health policies at the community level.
Assessment of urban river sediment quality is paramount to understanding the impacts of urbanization on aquatic ecosystems and public health. The study evaluated the health impacts and sources of heavy metal pollutants in the Mangonbangon river, Tacloban City. With the abundance of heavy metal contaminants in the river sediment (Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu>Cr>Ni>Co), Hazard indices (HIs) ranged from 0.04 to 0.10 for adults and 0.31 to 0.90 for children suggesting little or no non-carcinogenic effects to the population. Lifetime cancer risk (LCR) is below the tolerable threshold of 10(-4), with Co contributing 61% of the cancer risk. Using unconstrained ordination and the GIS-based method (UOGM), we showed two non-multidimensional scaling groups of pollutants distributed based on dwelling density, presence of informal settlers, and types of activity at the sample sites. Given that sampling was performed three years after the city-wide destruction by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), our analysis indicated the return of anthropogenic activities and pollution-related health problems in Tacloban. Our results reinforce the urgent need for proper river management and economic zoning to help curb the rapidly growing heavy metal pollution problem at its earliest stage.
Objective: This study aimed to 1) investigate the psychometric properties of the Climate Change Anxiety Scale or CCAS (Clayton & Karazsia, 2020) and 2) examine the mediating role of climate change anxiety on the link between experience of climate change and behavioural engagement in climate mitigation in Filipino youth. Method: A total of 452 Filipino adolescents responded to the survey (Mean Age = 19.18, SD = .99). Results: A modified two-factor model of the CCAS displayed superior fit relative to the other three models tested. Confirmatory factor analysis in Phase 1 yielded a stable two-factor structure with strong factor loadings and good internal consistency. In Phase 2, cognitive-emotional, but not the functional impairment component of climate anxiety, showed a mediating effect on the relationship between experience of climate change and behavioural engagement in climate mitigation. Conclusions: This study is the first to demonstrate that CCAS subscales have distinct mediating roles in linking Filipino adolescents’ experience of climate change and mitigation behaviours. Further validation of the CCAS is recommended, as well as further research on the factors that can promote environment-friendly behaviours in Filipino youth.
Epidemiological studies have quantified the association between ambient temperature and diarrhoea. However, to our knowledge, no study has quantified the temperature association for severe diarrhoea cases. In this study, we quantified the association between mean temperature and two severe diarrhoea outcomes, which were mortality and hospital admissions accompanied with dehydration and/or co-morbidities. Using a 12-year dataset of three urban districts of the National Capital Region, Philippines, we modelled the non-linear association between weekly temperatures and weekly severe diarrhoea cases using a two-stage time series analysis. We computed the relative risks at the 95th (30.4 °C) and 5th percentiles (25.8 °C) of temperatures using minimum risk temperatures (MRTs) as the reference to quantify the association with high- and low-temperatures, respectively. The shapes of the cumulative associations were generally J-shaped with greater associations towards high temperatures. Mortality risks were found to increase by 53.3% [95% confidence interval (CI): 29.4%; 81.7%)] at 95th percentile of weekly mean temperatures compared with the MRT (28.2 °C). Similarly, the risk of hospitalised severe diarrhoea increased by 27.1% (95% CI: 0.7%; 60.4%) at 95th percentile in mean weekly temperatures compared with the MRT (28.6 °C). With the increased risk of severe diarrhoea cases under high ambient temperature, there may be a need to strengthen primary healthcare services and sustain the improvements made in water, sanitation, and hygiene, particularly in poor communities.
In the Southeast Asian region, the Philippines and Malaysia are two of the most affected by Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Using long-term observations of HAB events, we determined if these are increasing in frequency and duration, and expanding across space in each country. Blooms of Paralytic Shellfish Toxin (PST)-producing species in the Philippines did increase in frequency and duration during the early to mid-1990s, but have stabilized since then. However, the number of sites affected by these blooms continue to expand though at a slower rate than in the 1990s. Furthermore, the type of HABs and causative species have diversified for both toxic blooms and fish kill events. In contrast, Malaysia showed no increasing trend in the frequency of toxic blooms over the past three decades since Pyrodinium bahamense was reported in 1976. However, similar to the Philippines, other PST producers such as Alexandrium minutum and Alexandrium tamiyavanichii have become a concern. No amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) has been confirmed in either Philippines or Malaysia thus far, while ciguatera fish poisoning cases are known from the Philippines and Malaysia but the causative organisms remain poorly studied. Since the 1990s and early 2000s, recognition of the distribution of other PST-producing species such as species of Alexandrium and Gymnodinium catenatum in Southeast Asia has grown, though there has been no significant expansion in the known distributions within the last decade. A major more recent problem in the two countries and for Southeast Asia in general are the frequent fish-killing algal blooms of various species such as Prorocentrum cordatum, Margalefidinium polykrikoides, Chattonella spp., and unarmored dinoflagellates (e.g., Karlodinium australe and Takayama sp.). These new sites affected and the increase in types of HABs and causative species could be attributed to various factors such as introduction through mariculture and eutrophication, and partly because of increased scientific awareness. These connections still need to be more concretely investigated. The link to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) should also be better understood if we want to discern how climate change plays a role in these patterns of HAB occurrences.
This study examines how human capital develops in response to early-life weather and pollution exposures in the Philippines. Both pollution and weather are examined in relation to short- and long-term human capital outcomes. We combine a three-decade longitudinal survey measuring human capital development, a database of historical weather, and multiple databases characterizing carbon monoxide and ozone in the Philippines during the 1980s. We find evidence that extreme precipitation and temperature affect short-term anthropometric outcomes, but long-term outcomes appear unaffected. For long-term cognitive outcomes, we find that early-life pollution exposures negatively affect test scores and schooling. These long-term responses to early-life pollution exposures extend to the labor market with reduced hours worked and earnings. The implication is that a 25 per cent reduction in early-life ozone exposure would increase per person discounted lifetime earnings by $1,367, which would scale to $2.05 billion at the national level (or 2 per cent of 2005 GDP).
Oncomelania hupensis quadrasi is the snail intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum in the Philippines. It was discovered by Dr. Marcos Tubangui in 1932 more than two decades after the discovery of the disease in the country in 1906. This review, the first for O. h. quadrasi, presents past and present works on the taxonomy, biology, ecology, control, possible paleogeographic origin of the snail intermediate host and future in research, control and surveillance of the snail. Extensive references are made of other subspecies of O. hupensis such as the subspecies in China for which majority of the advances has been accomplished. Contrasting views on whether the snail is to be considered an independent species of Oncomelania or as one of several subspecies of Oncomelania hupensis are presented. Snail control methods such as chemical methods using synthetic and botanical molluscicides, environmental manipulation and biological control are reviewed. Use of technologies such as Remote Sensing, Geographical Information System and landscape genetics is stressed for snail surveillance. Control and prevention efforts in the Philippines have consistently focused on mass drug administration which has proved inadequate in elimination of the disease. An integrated approach that includes snail control, environmental sanitation and health education has been proposed. Population movement such as migration for employment and economic opportunities and ecotourism and global climate change resulting in heavy rains and flooding challenge the gains of control and elimination efforts. Concern for possible migration of snails to non-endemic areas is expressed given the various changes both natural and mostly man-made favoring habitat expansion.
BACKGROUND: Climate change is leading to an increased number of natural disasters. Children from low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected. The impacts of exposure to multiple natural disasters on the development of children are not well understood. The Philippines had 6.5 million people affected by natural disasters in 2018 and is therefore an ideal country in which to study the cumulative effects of natural disasters on human development. METHODS: We used wave 1 (2016-17) of the Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child, a nationally representative cohort study of 4952 10-year-old children, to examine the impact of natural disasters. For caregivers, we examined mental health, family violence, and food insecurity. For children, we examined exposure to violence and stunting. We used random effects models to estimate the associations between natural disasters and children’s development outcomes and caregivers’ outcomes, after adjusting for neighbourhood, demographic, and geographic variables. Disaster exposure was measured using caregiver-reported measures of cumulative exposure and cumulative impact of disasters, average neighbourhood reports and data linked from the International Disaster Database (EM-DAT), an independent measure of community exposure to disaster. FINDINGS: We found that experiencing natural disasters, as measured by neighbourhood reports, was associated with higher levels of family violence in the previous 12 months, parenting stress, children witnessing physical violence, physical abuse of children, stunting in children, and greater food insecurity. Associations with individual self-reported exposure showed was similar. Associations with natural disasters measured using EM-DAT data showed a similar pattern: exposure to greater numbers of natural disasters was associated with higher levels of family violence, physical abuse of children, stunting in children, and food insecurity. Impacts of disasters was associated with higher levels of family violence, depression and food insecurity. INTERPRETATION: This is the first national study to document that cumulative measures of natural disasters had small, but wide-ranging, impacts on children and their caregivers. Further research is needed to identify factors that will protect populations who are at risk of high levels of natural disasters to ensure the optimal development of children. FUNDING: The Philippines Project, The Australian National University.
Health risks from climate change are increasing and becoming a critical global concern. Implementation of health adaptation policies is vital, particularly in settings with high socioeconomic vulnerability and physical exposure to climate-risks, such as the Philippines. We identified from the literature a set of reference principles and categories of barriers to the implementation of national health adaptation policy. These were then used to assess the extent to which these policy principles and barriers are evident in Philippine national health adaptation. This assessment was undertaken based on data and information from policy analysis, key informant interviews, and an expert workshop. The results suggest that the Philippines have made notable progress on health adaptation by establishing a strong policy framework. However, implementation remains challenging and requires continued commitment. The health adaptation policy principles identified in the Philippines are policy congruence, mainstreaming, multi-sectoral approach, multiscale approach, adaptive management, and evidence-based decision-making. The most important implementation barriers are uncertain leadership, appropriateness and longevity of the governance structures within the Department of Health, and data and evidence. The value of considering policy principles alongside implementation barriers is twofold. First, this enables understanding of how implementation barriers relate directly to policy principles. Second, it facilitates identification of future implementation barriers that may arise in relation to current policy principles. Multi-sectoral governance and the integration of evidence in decision-making arose as potential future challenges in the Philippines. These areas may require special consideration in future policy design and planning.
The Philippines suffers frequent typhoons every year hence the country is susceptible to experience disastrous flooding. This extreme event causes various effects in the community specifically infrastructural and social system damages. Flooding also causes numerous health effects that deteriorate the wellbeing of the affected population. Iligan City is known to be an area prone to flooding in the Philippines. This paper examines the state of health of communities affected by flooding occurrences through knowledge and preparedness, health impacts, and emergency response of various state actors during and after flooding incidents. Data were collected through an analysis of different documents, key informant interviews, and focus groups in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro. Results show data from various sources and narratives regarding the degree of preparedness before the flood among community members. During the flooding occurrence, different community damages were mentioned. Due to the destructive nature of floods, community members also stated different health impacts whether immediate, short term, or long term. After the flood, different emergency response and relief were provided. However, citizens and community also cited difficulties about the provision of relief and health care. This study can be used for initiatives in reducing risks and vulnerability in floods.
The Philippines is highly susceptible to both geophysical and climate-related disasters. This article explores Filipinos knowledge and perception of climate change and their association with what action Filipinos take to prepare for rapid onset natural hazards such as typhoons. Data for this study were collected from a nationally representative random survey of 5,184 adults conducted between March and April of 2017. Filipinos self-report relatively low levels of knowledge of climate change and cited increased temperatures, shifts in seasons, and heavier rains as the most likely consequences. Levels of disaster preparedness in the Philippines differ widely by region. Although most Filipinos perceive that natural hazards are a risk to them, only a third of Filipinos undertake measures to prepare for disasters. Filipinos who perceive climate-related changes directly impacting their households report taking greater action to prepare for disasters. Filipinos who believe they have been directly impacted by climate-related changes are also more likely to prepare for disasters, take planning actions, and undertake material actions to prepare, such as dwelling improvements. Other factors associated with disaster preparedness include gender, membership in an association, wealth, risk perception, and prior exposure to and losses due to disasters. The findings imply that, while posing different challenges and requiring different responses, adaptation to climate change and disaster preparedness are inherently associated and potentially mutually reinforcing. Policies and programs would arguably benefit from a more unified intervention framework that links climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Typhoon Haiyan partially destroyed the Ormoc District Hospital in the Philippines. A field hospital was established to replace its outpatient department for 5 weeks. We investigated the reasons for medical consultation in the field hospital. METHODS: We described the consultations by sex, age, week, and diagnosis according to the Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters system. We compared the number and proportion of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) with a control season in 2014. RESULTS: We included 6785 consultations, 55.9% from women. The majority of consultations were communicable diseases (88.2%) followed by noncommunicable (7.1%) and injuries (5.6%). Males suffered more often from injuries than women (66.0% vs 34.0%). Consultations due to injuries decreased from 10.0% in the first to 2.9% in the last week. The most frequent diagnosis over the study period was acute respiratory infections (ARIs) (73.1%), of which 83.0% were children. The number of daily URTIs was higher than in a similar 2014 period. CONCLUSIONS: ARI was the most prevalent diagnosis. We recommend ARI treatments being fully accessible after such a disaster. During the first week, injury prevention should focus on adult men. Studies after natural disasters should include control periods to better understand disease distribution, ultimately improving the prioritization in disasters.
This research examines flood risk and adaption to it, including the possibility of out-migration, in two flood-prone coastal locations in the Philippines through the lens of Protection Motivation Theory. Much of the country is at risk of coastal flooding due to sea-level rise and from severe weather-related events. The data analyzed were obtained in 2016 and 2018 from focus group discussions with local residents, individual interviews with local government officials, and field observations. Residents’ and officials’ reports reveal a number of consistent themes in both places and over time, with some important differences. Both locations were grappling with regular minor to moderate flooding in 2016, as well as with occasional severe flooding. Respondents reported serious economic, health, and safety threats associated with flooding events. Recent infrastructure improvements appear to have reduced routine flood risk in one location, but considerable risk from major storms remains in both places. While some housing has been abandoned because of flood damage, and while some better-off residents have moved away, most are not currently considering retreat as a near-term solution. Instead, most people are adapting in place and attempting to devise strategies to mitigate flood risk in their communities.
Climate Change and malnutrition are two global phenomena that affect millions of population groups. The Philippines is considered one of the most vulnerable countries for extreme natural events and at the same time has a high prevalence of underweight (19.0%) and stunting (28.8%) in 2019 among under five children. The nutritionally vulnerable groups are children, pregnant and lactating women, and elderly. These groups are also greatly affected by climate change-related events then the malnutrition situation is exacerbated. The local nutrition workers are the frontline workers who plan, implement, and monitor nutrition programs. Mainstreaming climate change in the local nutrition planning processes will be facilitated if nutrition workers are knowledgeable. This study aimed to determine the current knowledge, attitudes and practices of nutrition workers and perceptions on how to mainstream climate change in the nutrition sector’s local planning system. A survey was conducted among local nutrition workers. Ninety-five percent of nutrition workers were highly knowledgeable, 86% were with high level of attitudes and 50% were exhibiting moderate level of practices related to climate change. The gaps can be narrowed by capacity building and possibly this can lead to mainstreaming climate change in the local nutrition planning process.
