Desafios e soluções na resposta aos serviços de saúde durante desastres naturais

Natural disasters are the result of climatic, natural or directly man induced events. Such events can cause human, material, and environmental damage, as well as social and public health consequences. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify in the literature the main impacts of hydrological natural disasters on public health. METHODOLOGY: This is an integrative literature review conducted with articles published in the last 5 years (2021-2025). The search was carried out in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases using the following keywords: "health impacts", "hydrological disaster",and "flooding" in both Portuguese and English. RESULTS: The analysis of the studies showed that natural disasters such as floods cause various public health issues. The main health problems affecting the impacted population include infectious diseases such as leptospirosis, hepatitis A, and gastrointestinal illnesses transmitted through contaminated water following the increased volume of fluids during floods.
CONCLUSION: The reviewed studies demonstrate that natural disasters affect collective health in multiple ways. The implementation of public policies that prevent recurring damage before, during, and after such events is highly relevant to minimize these harms.