Clean tanks to prevent outbreak: DPH

Talking to DTNext, Dr Kolandasamy, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said, “With power being restored, residents have begun to fill their overhead tanks immediately. But if the tanks are not clean, the consumption of water could lead to water-borne diseases like diarrhoea. Therefore, it is advisable to chlorinate and wash the tank, before switching on the motor.” 

He added that with enough precautions in place, the number of diarrhoea cases have been negligible. “But we are not overlooking even a single case and are following up to ensure there is no outbreak in any area. We have disease trackers in place to outline the areas that have a higher number of cases than usual.” 

However, private hospitals are beginning to see several cases of diarrhoea, apart from viral infections, and they attribute the same to the recent disaster. Dr Sridevi Anantharaman, general physician, Apollo Hospitals, Vanagaram said “There have been some cases of typhoid, apart from diarrhoea, over the last few days. We strongly suspect that these are a result of water contamination soon after the cyclone. We are advising our patients to drink only boiled water. We are restricting the prescription of antibiotics for common cold and fever.”