Infection after Earthquake, China, 2008 | CDC EID

EID Journal Home > Volume 16, Number 6–June 2010

Volume 16, Number 6–June 2010
Dispatch
Causes of Infection after Earthquake, China, 2008
Yue Wang, Peng Hao, Bo Lu, Hua Yu, Wenfang Huang, Hongliang Hou, and Kerong Dai
Author affiliations: Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China (Y. Wang, P. Hao, B. Lu, H. Yu, W. Huang); Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, People's Republic of China (H. Hou, K. Dai); and Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai (H. Hou, K. Dai)

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Abstract
To determine which organisms most commonly cause infection after natural disasters, we cultured specimens from injured earthquake survivors in Wenchuan, China, 2008. Of 123 cultures, 46 (59%) grew only 1 type of pathogenic bacteria. Smear was more effective than culture for early diagnosis of gas gangrene. Early diagnosis and treatment of wounds are crucial.
On May 12, 2008, an 8.0-magnitude earthquake occurred in Wenchuan, People's Republic of China. For many survivors who were hospitalized, wound or other generalized infections developed. To learn more about relevant factors and therapeutic solutions for infections in earthquake survivors, we analyzed the characteristics and antimicrobial drug susceptibility of organisms cultured from wounds, blood, and sputum of persons admitted to Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital after the earthquake. This hospital, 1 of the biggest public hospitals in the earthquake zone, admitted 2,131 survivors, including 856 patients who had been transferred from other hospitals after preliminary treatment; 2,105 recovered and were discharged by July 31, 2008. Thus, this hospital's patients may be representative of all survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake.

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Infection after Earthquake, China, 2008 | CDC EID