The DANA that devastated several towns in Valencia and Castilla-La Mancha has left a devastating toll of more than 200 dead and at least 89 missing. In addition to the human losses, there are numerous material losses.
The streets of municipalities such as Paiporta, Masanasa, Chiva, Algemesí, Aldaia and Catarroja were completely flooded during the first hours of the storm. In these municipalities, water gave way to mud and humidity. Since last Wednesday, hundreds of people have dedicated themselves to cleaning the streets and offering their help.
As the days have passed, doctors emphasize the importance of using protective equipment to avoid illnesses and infections. The pharmacist and scientific communicator, Boticaria García, has joined this call.
Boticaria García calls for “prudence and science”
The expert has first asked that misinformation on this topic not spread: “Prudence and science.” In this sense, he explains that it is best to move away from “alarmism” to deal with what is “really important”, according to official sources.
«In recent days many hoaxes have been spread about infectious diseases that can appear in stagnant water,” he explains. As he comments, one of the most recurring questions among the population is whether there are risks derived from the presence of human remains in the water. His response is clear: “We should not feed the most sensational headlines.”
He insists that the WHO indicates that “the corpses “They do not usually represent a significant risk of disease outbreaks after these phenomena.” The explanation is that the “majority of infectious agents do not survive much in the human body after death.
“Acute infections are more likely to appear among the surviving population in affected areas because they may be carriers of contagious diseases,” he highlights.
Another issue has to do with diseases such as cholera or typhus. Regarding these, Marían García explains that “when death occurs due to cholera or hemorrhagic fevers, as in the Ebola virus, the human risks do represent health risks and strict protocols are necessary.” However, Boticaria recalls that “fortunately They are not endemic diseases in Spain».
“Although nothing is impossible, experience in emergencies teaches us to never underestimate the risks; today it is most likely that we will not suffer any cholera epidemic,” he emphasizes. Likewise, he emphasizes that there are other problems to which more attention should be paid.
Diseases that can appear after DANA
Among the short-term diseases that have the highest risk of appearing are “the wounds and trauma when coming into contact with mud and other contaminated materials, skin infections for the same reason, gastrointestinal diseases in theory of being around the house like salmonella, campiterobacter oe coli.
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Wounds and trauma when coming into contact with mud and contaminated materials
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skin infections
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Gatrointestinal diseases
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In the medium term: monitor mosquitoes and respiratory diseases caused by fungi
When it comes to consuming water, Boticaria García highlights that it is the authorities who warn about whether it is suitable for consumption. At the moment, there isn’t any, so he insists that it should be drunk. bottled water: “It is not recommended unless the authorities say otherwise to do homemade chlorination of any kind.”
Once the first phases after the catastrophe have passed, in the medium term, it will be necessary to monitor mosquitoes that can transmit vectors, as well as fungal respiratory diseases because “Moisture is the perfect habitat for mold”.
In this way, Boticaria García aligns itself with the rest of the experts who are giving advice in the last week and asks “not to be alarmed by exotic diseases for now and take care of taking extreme hygiene measures”.
Also, remember the importance of being up to date on vaccines such as tetanus in the affected area. “The great forgotten one is the flu because many people are spending a lot of time in crowded places and an untimely flu is the last thing those affected need now.”
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