Communities with higher levels of deprivation and fewer tropical cyclones have historically been found to be at significantly higher risk of death from kidney, infectious and digestive diseases | Image used for representational purposes only | Photo: KOMMURI SRINIVAS
An analysis of deaths from tropical cyclones in nine countries found that the largest increase of 92% was seen in deaths due to kidney disease, followed by 21% in deaths due to physical injuries.
A tropical cyclone is an extreme weather phenomenon that originates in the oceans of the tropics and brings strong winds, torrential rains and in some cases devastating coastal flooding.
According to the results published in British Medical Journal.
Researchers led by Monash University staff examined 14.8 million deaths linked to 217 tropical cyclones between 2000 and 2019 in 1,356 localities in nine countries, including Australia, Brazil, the Philippines and Thailand.
“The risk of all-cause mortality increased consistently after tropical cyclones, with peaks occurring in the first two weeks after the cyclone,” the authors write.
“During the first two weeks after a tropical cyclone, there was the largest increase in mortality from kidney disease and injury, with (a 92% and 21% increase, respectively) for each subsequent day of the tropical cyclone,” they said.
Communities with higher levels of deprivation and fewer tropical cyclones have historically been found to be at significantly higher risk of death from kidney, infectious and digestive diseases.
Researchers attribute the rise in deaths to health care failures, limited access to medicine and increased physical and psychological stress among residents.
Mortality from tropical cyclones may be more strongly related to rainfall than wind speed, possibly due to flooding and water pollution, suggesting that rainfall should be given more emphasis in early warning systems, they said.
However, there is a lack of evidence on how tropical cyclones affect public health, particularly in regions that have historically experienced fewer tropical cyclones and may have low resilience to extreme weather events, the team said.
The study provides “compelling and quantitative evidence of a markedly increased risk of multi-cause mortality following tropical cyclones at the multi-country level.” The authors said that more evidence of how tropical cyclones can exacerbate public health problems is urgently needed to be incorporated into disaster responses in an ever-warming planet.
They added that the highest health risks are not from direct trauma, but from broken health systems, polluted environments and prolonged stress.
Research ideas need to be translated into policy to protect the most vulnerable populations and increase resilience to direct and indirect health impacts from devastating extreme weather events, the team said.
Published – November 7, 2025, 4:29 PM IST
