Watch: As Chennai crawls back to normalcy, the spectre of disease still hangs over citizens

Kodambakkam (Chennai): With water receding in many areas and the electricity supply being restored, the people of flood-ravaged Chennai are breathing a sigh of relief. But, they are not out of the woods just yet. Now, they have a major task ahead to keep safe from the possible outbreak of diseases in the aftermath of heavy rains over the past month and the subsequent over-flowing of water bodies.

Barring a few cases of upper respiratory infection (URI), lower respiratory tract infection (LRI) and gastroenteritis, there is no reported case of any major water-borne or vector-borne disease in the flood-hit state. But doctors are saying that a lot of diseases can be expected at this point of time when the floods have caused a lot of damages and water is still stagnant at several low-lying areas. Therefore, people should be very careful to keep the diseases at bay.

Here are the most diseases that people may encounter:

1) The main disease that has already surfaced is gastroenteritis due to sewage, contaminated food and water that people have ingested. Its prominent symptoms are vomitting, abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea and sometimes low fever.

“A lot of these are viral or what we call ‘traveller’s diarrhoea-related infections’, which probably do not need antibiotics. They need only oral rehydration; patients have enough fluid and (the key is) making sure that they get symptomatic relief,” said Dr V Ramasubramanian, senior consultant, infectious diseases and tropical medicine, Apollo Hospitals to Firstpost. The hospital is offering free treatment to flood victims in Chennai.

2) The second set of problem that may occur in the next few days are viral infections related to the respiratory strep. “There is a lot of overcrowding in the relief camps and in places where there are a lot of people. You can get respiratory infections spread by viruses — mainly influenza or influenza-like illnesses. These may result in fevers, runny noses, colds, coughs and severe bodyaches. These may also predominantly need only symptomatic treatment,” he said.

3) Subsequently, doctors are also expecting diseases that are mosquito-borne. Once the mosquito starts breeding in stagnant waters, infections like malaria, dengue and chikungunya may emerge in the upcoming days or week.  “These will probably need investigations as specific treatment will be required depending on whether it is malaria, or symptomatic treatments for conditions like dengue or chikungunya,” said the doctor.

4) There are other infections which may present themselves now or even at a later point. There are infections like cholera (cases where cholera is suspected have already emerged) and severe loose stools associated with dehydration. This can be a result of faecal matter contaminating the water supply.

5) You can also get diseases which may have longer incubation period such as conditions like typhoid, or hepatitis A which may manifest three weeks or even six weeks after the initial episode. “To prevent these infections, one needs to take scrupulous care — mainly hygiene and sanitation, which becomes very difficult in a lot of in refugee camps and areas where there is difficulty in accessing water,” said Dr Ramasubramanian.

“So, we stress that, wherever possible, boil the water before you drink. If that is not possible, we are providing chlorine tablets for water that is to be drunk and used in cooking food. Ensure that you wash your hand as frequently as possible so that you do not contaminate food. Wash your hands especially when you travel or wade in water, and come back. Wash your hand properly before eating and after visiting the toilet. Apart from this, symptomatic treatments for most of the conditions are required. We do not advise antibiotics for leptospirosis or diarrhoeal illnesses,” he added.

A lot of people have enquired about the use of vaccines or immunisation in managing or preventing these infections. “Apart from flu vaccines, we recommend typhoid vaccines in certain situations. Cholera vaccines are available but we do not routinely recommend them unless there is an outbreak,” he said, adding, “We also advise tetanus diphtheria boosters for patients who have not had a tetanus booster for the last 10 years.”

6) Another set of illnesses that must be kept in mind are skin problems. These may be related to fungal infections that grow and thrive, especially when the skin is warm and moist. Athlete’s foot or tinea infection is caused after the floods. It is a very big problem. Cuts, bruises and other injuries can also be a problem. “These require only topical antibiotic tablets,” he advised.

How prepared is the government to deal the possible outbreak of epidemics?

The Health and Family Welfare Department of the state claims that it is “well-prepared” and “well-equipped” to tackle all emergencies. “All our hospitals are well-equipped. We have sufficient man-power. There is no dearth of medicine. All diseases can be treated at all our hospitals. We are on the job. Our health officers are deployed across Chennai. A total of 1,700 doctors have been deployed. They are working around-the-clock. More than 200 medical camps have been set all across the city. We have ensured round-the-clock deployment of ambulance services,” Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan told Firstpost, adding that “preventing illness is our priority”.

“We are putting in place static and mobile medical camps in order to screen and provide people with treatment and other medical needs for probable illnesses and communicable diseases like fever, diarrhoea and the sort,” he added.

Asked about the disease outbreak, he said that “barring minor illness, there is no report of any major disease outbreak or epidemic. We are taking all preventive measures to stop epidemics”.