Preventing epidemics in flood areas

- Prolonged heavy rains due to the impact of storm No. 11 have caused many areas in the province to be deeply flooded. Along with the work of overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, the health sector and communes and wards are urgently and synchronously implementing measures to prevent and control epidemics and protect people's health.

Staff of Quoc Viet Commune Health Station spray disinfectant and treat the environment

Early on October 9, more than 20 staff members of the Trang Dinh Regional Medical Center were present in villages and residential areas of three communes: That Khe, Trang Dinh, and Quoc Viet. Bringing sprayers, chemical containers, and thousands of Cloramin B packets, they divided into small groups, coordinated with village health workers and commune militia to spray disinfectants on the environment, treat domestic water sources, and ensure safety for people to use again after many days of deep flooding.

It is known that during the storm, Trang Dinh Regional Health Center maintained two mobile emergency teams consisting of 14 medical staff, doctors, pharmacists and two ambulances on duty 24/24 hours, ready to respond in case of emergency. At the same time, the center directed 100% of commune health stations in the area to be on duty with enough staff, fully prepared with medicine and medical supplies to ensure emergency care and medical examination and treatment for people during and after the storm and flood.

Doctor Be Van Khanh, Director of Trang Dinh Regional Medical Center, informed: After the flood, the environment is polluted, the water source is contaminated, mosquitoes and insects breed rapidly, creating favorable conditions for infectious diseases such as diarrhea, dermatitis, dengue fever, pink eye... Therefore, we have just sent staff to coordinate with communes to disinfect the environment, treat domestic water sources, instruct people on environmental sanitation, prevent epidemics, and at the same time strengthen disease surveillance, proactively provide medicine and medical supplies to ensure medical examination and treatment.

Along with Trang Dinh Regional Health Center, Huu Lung Regional Health Center also proactively checked supplies and chemicals, proposed the Department of Health to provide an additional 200 kg of Cloramin B, nearly 30,000 water disinfectant tablets and directed commune health stations to establish environmental treatment spraying teams to deploy immediately after the flood receded. Doctor Kim Ngoc Thuy, Deputy Director of Huu Lung Regional Health Center shared: On October 7 and 8, the regional health center and most of the commune health stations and stations were flooded, many machines and equipment were damaged. However, we still fully implemented medical measures according to the direction of superiors, established a mobile emergency team, assigned staff to be on duty 24/24... and proactively ensured food and medicine for 198 inpatients.

Along with the above two units, the work of ensuring health and preventing epidemics in flooded areas has also been proactively deployed by the Department of Health and medical facilities in the area. Mr. Phan Lac Hoai Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, said: Before storm No. 11 made landfall, the Department of Health activated disaster response plans across the sector, in order to respond quickly and ensure the health safety of the people in all situations. Medical units are required to be on duty professionally, on duty for emergency 24/24 hours, ensuring medicines, chemicals, medical equipment, not to interrupt medical examination and treatment for people. At the same time, we directed the establishment of mobile emergency teams to support in flooded and landslide-affected areas; early detection, timely handling of epidemic situations, ensuring epidemic prevention, organizing environmental sanitation, ensuring clean water, using safe food during and after storms and floods, absolutely not allowing epidemics to break out after floods.

Accordingly, medical stations still maintain 24/7 professional duty, ensuring emergency care, medical examination and treatment and epidemic prevention for people in flood-affected areas. After the water recedes, regional health centers and commune health stations will strengthen monitoring, early detection and timely handling of outbreaks, coordinate with communes to spray chemicals to kill mosquitoes, disinfect water sources, ensure environmental hygiene and food safety.

Ms. Ha Thi Tam, Head of Cai Kinh Commune Health Station, said: The station has 13 staff members on duty at 3 stations, ready to handle situations that arise during storms. We also check and reserve enough medicine and medical supplies. Immediately after the water recedes, we will treat the environment in the flooded area, instruct households on how to treat domestic water and collect waste. The station also promotes propaganda on eating cooked food, drinking boiled water, washing hands with soap, and preventing eye, skin and digestive diseases.

Along with the efforts of the health sector, people in flooded areas also raise awareness of health protection. Mr. Hoang Van Tuan, Bac Khe village, Tan Tien commune said: My family followed the instructions of health workers , treated well water with Cloramin B, sprinkled lime around the barn and always slept under mosquito nets to avoid mosquitoes.

As floodwaters gradually recede, it is also the time for medical facilities to strengthen inspection and close monitoring of epidemics, ensure medicines, chemicals and preventive human resources on site; widely propagate on loudspeakers, social networks and through village medical teams, contributing to protecting people's health and stabilizing life after floods.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/khong-de-dich-chong-thien-tai-5061357.html