Floods and health - Fact sheets for health professionals

Over recent decades an increasing trend in frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events has been observed across the WHO European Region. High precipitation extremes can result in flash floods, river floods, drinking water supply and sewage system failure, landslides and mudslides. They can initiate devastating floods, which affect large areas and are of long duration. Floods affect human health through many pathways, and health professionals can take numerous measures to protect the health of affected populations.

A series of fact sheets has been developed, targeted at ministries of health; national, regional and local health authorities; and medical and public health professionals. These fact sheets describe in short what to do in case of a flood, in the absence of a fully functional flood health preparedness and response plan.

This is planned as a “living document” to be updated regularly.