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The growing frequency and severity of disasters worldwide have highlighted the need for environmental health practitioners to be equipped with specialised training to respond effectively to evolving public health contexts. Disasters can have long-lasting impacts on the environment and environmental health services, necessitating prompt and effective responses. However, the current environmental health workforce faces challenges in acquiring the necessary competencies to address environmental health threats during disasters. This narrative review synthesises existing literature on disaster management education for environmental health professionals, exploring current training, advancements and emerging trends. The review follows Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines and includes a total of 45 records that met inclusion criteria (compromising 15 peer-reviewed articles and 30 training records) published between 2002 and 2023. Findings highlight the expansion of environmental health degree programmes to include disaster management, better preparing newly qualified practitioners. However, a knowledge gap remains for previously qualified practitioners. High-income countries prioritising capacity building for environmental health practitioners in disaster management are better equipped to respond to and mitigate disasters.
Mbola et al. (Mon,) studied this question.