Floods as disasters - public health challenges

According to WHO data, floods are the most common natural disasters. Every year about 1 billion people in more than 150 countries are at risk. In Bulgaria over 280 000 people live in flood-prone areas (4%). According to NSI and MoI data after 2010, about 3000 floods are registered in Bulgaria, the damage is over 160 000 leva, and for recovery over 170 million. The purpose of the study is to analyze the public health challenges due to floods. Methods. Statistical survey about disasters on the territory of the country. Analysis of the database for flooding in Bulgaria from 1990 to 2014. Results. In the last three decades, an average of more than 100 million people in the world are affected by floods. The frequency of floods and their mortality rate for the country over the specified period is over 47%. Conclusions. According to the analysis, the number of floods is increasing. Primary, secondary and long-term health effects are significant. Casualties are mainly: hypothermia, traumatism, drowning. There is a risk of infectious diseases. Flood risk reduction, optimization of protection and good practical training for teams is the effective direction for the development of public health.