Chennai/New Delhi : As the water level started receding in Chennai and three other districts in Tamil Nadu after many days of incessant rainfall, medical experts on Friday asked the people to take necessary precautions as chances of an epidemic loom large.
The doctors, who have been part of several disaster management medical teams, have advised the people to maintain proper personal hygiene.
“The situation will become critical now and there are possibilities that diseases like cholera and diarrhoea would spread and various types of infections would increase. The intake of safe and clean water at this time is very important to avoid any disease,” D K Sharma, medical superintendent and the head of medicine at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said.
Sharma said that often during floods, the stagnant water gets contaminated by bacteria and results in several types of severe skin infections including lupus, wound infections, dermatitis, conjunctivitis, and ear, nose and throat infections and blisters among several others. Emphasising on boiling the water before drinking, Sharma said that it would be preferable if people drank coconut water or packed water to get the necessary minerals for the body.
“In several places where people depend on ground water, they can chlorinate the water to get rid of the bacterial contamination,” said Sharma.
Meanwhile, the health ministry has prepared a list of doctors and healthcare workers, along with stocks of medicine.
“Tamil Nadu has a robust healthcare system and they do not need much support from the central government. However, we have compiled a list of doctors’ names and equipped healthcare workers with necessary medicines if required in case of emergency,” said C.K. Mishra, additional secretary in health ministry.
“Apart from diarrhoea, cholera and infection, a lot of people who suffer from fear psychosis after witnessing nature’s fury, which one can overcome in weeks,” said Sunil Saxena, head of emergency medicine at RML Hospital. – IANS
