Flood events change the occurrence and burden of diarrhea among people in Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam in 2016

People in flooded areas are exposed to the risk of infectious diseases like gastroenteritis via contact with contaminated floodwater. The burden of such diseases has often been estimated using DALYs based on the severity and duration of the disease symptoms but not for psychology. We hypothesized that people in developing countries hit by floods frequently have higher stress related to flood-related diseases than others. This study aimed to describe the psychological impact of floods into the health burden of diarrhea in flood-prone areas in Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam in 2016. A cross sectional study was conducted from August to September 2016 in Thua Thien Hue province to ask about their feeling about flood-caused diarrhea compared with common diseases which are leading causes of morbidity in the region. The results showed that the participants felt that some diseases such as diarrhea happened more frequently during and after floods. People in non-flooded areas felt that diarrhea and cough that happened more frequently during and after floods were significantly higher than in other areas. The severity/uncomfortableness of diarrhea that participants reported compared with each common disease was significantly different between people in flooded and non-flooded areas. No significant difference between the newly modified disability weight of diseases that participants in flooded and non-flooded areas, felt happened more frequently related to floods. The feeling to diarrhea disease was not affected by floods. A new method to incorporate the psychological impacts of floods into the burden of normal diarrhea was also proposed. Our findings suggest that floods changed the feelings of people in flooded areas about diarrhea by accepting this disease.