Risk of disease outbreak at flood epicenter

(Baonghean.vn) - After 1 week of flooding, Quynh Luu and Hoang Mai town are still focusing on overcoming the consequences, including environmental treatment, water resources and disease prevention.

Quynh Vinh is one of the two most heavily flooded communes in Hoang Mai Town. After a week of receding water, Quynh Vinh commune health station is still continuing to clean up, sanitize the environment and medical equipment. Meanwhile, the number of patients coming to the station for examination and treatment since the flood has increased many times compared to normal, with an average of 50-80 patients per day. Fortunately, up to this point, the patients are mainly weak, exhausted, needing IVs, giving birth, children with fever, bronchitis, there have been no cases of infectious diseases such as diarrhea, dengue fever, pink eye. To both overcome the consequences of the flood and ensure medical examination and treatment, for the past week, 6 staff members of Quynh Vinh commune health station have been working day and night.

Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hong - Deputy Director of the Department of Health and the inspection team of the Ministry of Health inspected the kindergarten in Quynh Vinh commune - Hoang Mai town.

Ms. Bui Thi Hoa - Midwife of Quynh Vinh Commune Health Station - Hoang Mai Town said: "The flood rose so quickly that even the patients and we did not have time to move, let alone the equipment. As soon as the water receded, we were always present at the station to clean, disinfect, sterilize, and dry medical instruments to ensure examination and treatment for patients. After the flood, many patients came for examination and treatment. In addition, the station also organized communication and went to households to treat water sources with chemicals, helping people have water for daily use."

With more than 24 communes and 11,000 households flooded, water sources are polluted by the corpses of millions of livestock and poultry along with waste from livestock farms, toilets and countless other wastes. Although environmental and water treatment work was carried out simultaneously in flooded areas as soon as the water receded, the treatment work was very difficult due to the large area of ​​flooding and the heavily polluted environment. Up to this point, no cases of infectious diseases such as acute diarrhea, dengue fever, hand, foot and mouth disease have been detected. However, limited awareness among people is a high risk of disease outbreaks. Meanwhile, grassroots health care is facing many difficulties, lacking chemicals, equipment and human resources.

Health sector leaders and inspection team of the Ministry of Health inspected water treatment at households in Quynh Vinh commune.

Doctor Le Van Thao - Director of Quynh Luu District Medical Center said: "Since the flood receded, the center's staff has been on duty in the communes to direct and guide people in treating water sources and the environment. However, we are still very worried because the public environment is heavily polluted and has not been treated yet. The biggest difficulty now is that, although we have been provided with a lot of supplies, due to the large flooded area and heavily polluted environment, we still lack chemicals and human resources."

Faced with serious environmental pollution and the risk of disease outbreaks, Nghe An health sector promptly provided Quynh Luu district and Hoang Mai town with hundreds of kilograms of chemicals; a number of medicines and equipment, and sent staff to closely monitor the area to direct and guide localities in environmental treatment and disease prevention. Up to this point, more than 7,000/8,000 flooded wells have been treated. The Ministry of Health also sent a working group to the flooded area with leaders of Nghe An Department of Health and Quynh Luu Medical Center to direct environmental treatment work, determined not to let disease arise and break out.

The weather is complicated after the flood, with intense sunshine, high humidity and possible rain in the near future. These are favorable conditions for infectious diseases to arise, especially in Quynh Luu and Hoang Mai Town where there are old outbreaks such as acute diarrhea and dengue fever. Therefore, together with the health sector, local authorities and organizations need to mobilize all resources to urgently focus on environmental treatment. First of all, each person needs to raise awareness of disease prevention for themselves and the community according to the recommendations of the health sector: eat cooked food, drink boiled water, personal hygiene and the environment./.

From Thanh