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Voluntary Health Registry of French Nationals after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: Methods, Results, Implications, and Feedback

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2016

Yvon Motreff ,
Philippe Pirard ,
Céline Lagrée ,
Candice Roudier  and
Pascal Empereur-Bissonnet
Yvon Motreff*
Affiliation:
French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), Department of Environmental Health, Saint-Maurice, France
Philippe Pirard
Affiliation:
French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), Department of Environmental Health, Saint-Maurice, France
Céline Lagrée
Affiliation:
French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), Information Technology Project Manager, Saint-Maurice, France
Candice Roudier
Affiliation:
French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), Department of Environmental Health, Saint-Maurice, France
Pascal Empereur-Bissonnet
Affiliation:
French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), Department of Environmental Health, Saint-Maurice, France
*
Correspondence: Yvon Motreff, MPH Département Santé Environnement Institut de Veille Sanitaire 12 rue du Val d’Osne 94415 Saint-Maurice Cedex France E-mail: y.motreff@invs.sante.fr
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Abstract

Introduction

The 11th of March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck alongside the north-east coast of Honshu Island, Japan, causing a tsunami and a major nuclear accident. The French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) set up, within one week after the triple catastrophe, an Internet-based registry for French nationals who were in Japan at the time of the disasters. In this string of disasters, in this context of uncertainties about the nuclear risks, the aim of this registry was to facilitate the: (1) realization of further epidemiologic studies, if needed; and (2) contact of people if a medical follow-up was needed. The purpose of this report was to describe how the health registry was set up, what it was used for, and to discuss further utilization and improvements to health registries after disasters.

Methods

The conception of the questionnaire to register French nationals was based on a form developed as part of the Steering Committee for the management of the post-accident phase in the event of nuclear accident or a radiological emergency situation (CODIRPA) work. The questionnaire was available online.

Results

The main objective was achieved since it was theoretically possible to contact again the 1,089 persons who completed the form. According to the data collected on their space-time budget, to the result of internal contamination measured by the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) and dosimetric expertise published by the World Health Organization (WHO), it was not suitable to conduct an epidemiologic follow-up of adverse effects of exposure to ionizing radiations among them. However, this registry was used to launch a qualitative study on exposure to stress and psychosocial impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake on French nationals who were in Japan in March 2011.

Conclusion

Setting a registry after a disaster is a very important step in managing the various consequences of a disaster. This experience showed that it is quickly feasible and does not raise adverse side effects in involved people.

MotreffY , PirardP , LagréeC , RoudierC , Empereur-BissonnetP . Voluntary Health Registry of French Nationals after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: Methods, Results, Implications, and Feedback. Prehosp Disaster Med.2016;31(3):326–329.

Keywords

disaster planningepidemiologyFukushima Nuclear Accidentpublic healthregistries
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , June 2016 , pp. 326 - 329
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2016 

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