According to the Ministry of Health , flooding after heavy rains is a favorable condition for bacteria and viruses to develop, causing epidemics in humans. Common epidemics during the rainy season are acute diarrhea, respiratory diseases, eye diseases, skin diseases, and dengue fever. In particular, many diseases such as measles and dengue fever are occurring during this time .
In Hanoi, from the beginning of 2024 to now, there have been 120 dengue fever outbreaks, of which 30 are active. Heavy rains are favorable conditions for the emergence of disease-transmitting mosquitoes; the number of recorded dengue fever cases tends to increase, some outbreaks have lasted, and patients continue to be recorded.
According to monitoring results at some outbreaks, insect indexes are still recorded at a level exceeding the risk threshold, and it is forecasted that the number of cases may increase in the coming time.
Gastrointestinal diseases (diarrhea caused by E.coli bacteria, dysentery, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis A) are easily contracted due to the use of unsanitary water sources and contaminated food. Therefore, people need to eat cooked food and drink boiled water, choose safe and hygienic food; disinfect drinking water and living water according to the instructions of medical staff to prevent gastrointestinal diseases.
Skin diseases that are easily contracted due to floods are athlete's foot, hand fungus; folliculitis; ringworm; pityriasis versicolor; scabies and boils.
To prevent disease, do not bathe or wash clothes in dirty water. If you do not have disinfected well water, you must use alum or filter the water with sand. Do not wear wet clothes. Do not swim, bathe or play in flooded water because the water is very dirty, in addition to causing skin diseases, it also causes digestive diseases due to swallowing dirty water.
Associate Professor, Dr. Luong Mai Anh - Director of the Department of Health Environment Management (Ministry of Health) - said that in order to respond to the flood situation in 2024, to ensure clean water, environmental sanitation, prevent the risk of environmental pollution from waste, contribute to disease prevention and protection of people's health, the Department of Health Environment Management respectfully requests the Department of Health to pay attention to directing relevant units to develop environmental sanitation plans, ensure clean water and manage medical waste before the storm and flood season; After storms and floods occur, support and guide grassroots medical units and people to implement environmental treatment measures; collect and treat medical waste, treat dead animals; treat flooded wells, dug wells, and water tanks according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health; organize spraying of chemicals to kill insects and disease vectors in flooded areas after the water recedes; Strengthen inspection and supervision of hygiene and quality of water supplied for drinking and daily life from water plants and centralized water supply stations to ensure residual chlorine concentration according to regulations; strengthen inspection of hygiene and quality of household water; inspect and supervise the collection and treatment of medical waste in medical facilities to ensure compliance with current regulations...
The Ministry of Health recommends that people choose and prepare safe food, eat cooked food and drink boiled water; wash hands regularly with soap before and after preparing food, before eating and after using the toilet. Practice personal hygiene daily, wash feet and dry between toes after contact with flood water, contaminated water...
