Tsunami Mortality in Aceh Province, Indonesia

Shannon Doocy, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Abdur Rofi, Mercy Corps
Gilbert Burnham, Johns Hopkins University
Courtland Robinson, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Cluster sample surveys of a total of nearly 1,600 Indonesian households in eight coastal districts in Aceh Province were conducted between February and August 2005. Completed analysis of 388 Aceh Barat and Nagan Raya Districts showed that 61.8% of households reported one or more family members as dead or missing (here, presumed dead) as a result of the tsunami, with an overall mortality rate of 13.9% (95% CI: 12.4-15.4). Risk of death was greatest in the youngest and oldest age groups and among females. Data from additional surveys are now being analyzed but are expected to show similar patterns of higher risk among females and among the youngest and oldest age groups.