BACKGROUND The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, and subsequent tsunami took nearly 20 000 lives in Tohoku, the northeastern part of Japan's main island. Most victims were either carried away by the tsunami or drowned. The ability to collect blood was disrupted on the Pacific coast of Tohoku. Inland areas were less affected, but allogeneic blood collected in Tohoku is tested at the...

On February 27, 2010, the central-south part of Chile was affected by a strong ground motion of Magnitude 8.8, that induced moderate values of peak ground acceleration (PGA) on rock outcrops, in the range of 0.13g to 0.32g, while in soil deposits, a maximum PGA of 0.94g was recorded. The duration of the shaking was close to two minutes as it is substantiated by the available acceleration record...

About one year prior to the earthquake, the JMA’s Committee on Emergency and Disaster Medicine proposed that Japan Medical Association Team (JMAT) be formed and issued a press release to that effect. The JMA decided to form JMAT on March 15, 2011, in response to the earthquake, and requested that prefectural medical associations nationwide send JMAT to the affected areas as emergency medical re...

OBJECTIVES In this survey, we aimed to build consensus and gather opinions on 'Kokoro-no care' or mental health services and psychosocial support (MHSPSS) after a disaster, among mental health professionals who engaged in care after the Great East Japan Earthquake. METHODS We recruited mental health professionals who engaged in support activities after the Great East Japan Earthquake, which i...