The Philippines has been hit hard by the typhoon Ondoy especially the Metro Manila and its sorrounding provinces like Rizal and Laguna. The typhoon was not that strong but it poured a lot of rains all over the place, all day and night. There were floods everywhere particularly those who resides near the river bank e.g, Marikina City and low lying areas like Malabon City. The raging water was just so angry that it almost submerged all the houses of the affected areas mentioned and to make it very hard for the people to survive, the current was strong and the water was dilluted with mud.
After the flood, health related concerns must be conducted through health education to employ the health safety of every individual survivors of flood and to stop any disease outbreak that can occur. Some of these communicable diseases discussed below;
1.) Water Borne Diseases
These kind of diseases are water related or caused by drinking or using contaminated water source. Flooding is associated with an increased risk of infection, however this risk is low unless there is significant population displacement and/or water sources are compromised. Some of the diseases it may cause are amoebiasis, cholera, dysentery, leptospirosis, typhoid fever, e. coli infection and so many others. The diseases mentioned above are still rampant today in the Philippines especially when there is a contamination of water source.
2.) Vector Borne Diseases
Floods may in some way direct to an increase in vector-borne diseases through the growth in the number and range of vector habitats. Standing water caused by heavy rainfall or overflow of rivers can act as breeding sites for mosquitoes, and therefore enhance the potential for exposure of the disaster-affected population and emergency workers to infections such as dengue and malaria. Flooding may at first flush out mosquito breeding sites, but it comes back when the waters recede. The risk of outbreaks is greatly increased by complicating factors, such as changes in human behaviour (increased exposure to mosquitoes while sleeping outside, a temporary pause in disease control activities, overcrowding), or changes in the habitat which promote mosquito breeding.
3.) Risks from Handling Corpses
Opposite to common belief, most agents do not survive long in the human body after death except for HIV virus which may last up to six days of dead body thus it may not impose a risk for a disease outbreak. On the other hand, workers who routinely handle corpses may have a risk of contracting tuberculosis, bloodborne viruses (such as Hepatitis B/C and HIV), and gastrointestinal infections (such as rotavirus diarrhoea, salmonellosis, E. coli, typhoid/paratyphoid fevers, hepatitis A, shigellosis and cholera). The public and emergency workers alike should be duly informed to avoid panic and inappropriate disposal of bodies, and to take adequate precautions in handling the dead bodies.
Preventive Measures
Short Term Measures
1.) Chlorination Of Water
2.) Vaccination of some specific Diseases like Hepa A
3.) Prevention Against Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever
4.) Proper Ways and Disposal Of Corpses
5.) Heath Education
* Promote good hygienic practice.
* Ensure safe food preparation techniques.
* Ensure boiling or chlorination of water.
* Vital importance of early diagnosis and treatment for dengue (within 24 hours of onset of fever).
Long Term Measures
1.)Legislative/administrative issues
* Create Disaster-Preparedness Programmes and Early Warning Systems.
* Improve surveillance on a local, national, international and global level.
* Promote tap-water quality regulation and monitoring.
* Enforce high standards of hygiene.
2.)Technical issues
* Improve water treatment and sanitation.
* Keep infectious disease control programmes active and efficient.
Video Credit Here
Reference: World Health Organization
Read more...













