What should the public do for personal health protection after a flood? How to prevent common diseases after a disaster?

10 Keys to Good Health Protection

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reminds everyone to take 10 protective measures:

1. Drinking water hygiene. Do not drink raw water, only drink boiled water or bottled water that meets hygiene standards, barrel water; water-filled appliances must be clean and often emptied and cleaned; temporary drinking well water, river water, lake water, pond water, etc., must be disinfected; turbidity, heavily polluted water must be clarified by adding alum and then disinfected; drinking water disinfectant (bleach tablets, disinfectant effervescent tablets) must be placed in a light-sheltered, dry, cool place to be stored (e.g., with a Brown bottles with tightly screwed caps). Tap water pipes or faucets, if contaminated, should be adequately cleaned after the water is returned, and the surface of the faucet should be disinfected by wiping with a chlorine-containing disinfectant.
2. Food hygiene. Food should be cooked thoroughly and separated from raw and cooked food; tableware should be cleaned and sterilized for use, and hands should be washed before eating; do not eat spoiled or flood-soaked food; do not eat drowned or diseased livestock and aquatic products; do not eat leftovers, do not eat raw and cold food; and do not buy food from stalls that do not have food business permits.
3. Environmental hygiene. Thoroughly clean up the indoor and outdoor environments, so that they are cleaned up first, then disinfected, and then moved back in. Eliminate stagnant water, remove sludge and garbage and debris; open doors and windows, ventilate, clean furniture, clean indoor items, and disinfect the walls and floors of the rooms when necessary; refurbish toilets, brush bathrooms, and repair livestock pens. Do not urinate or defecate anywhere, and discharge feces, excrement and garbage in designated areas.
4. Vector Biological Control. Install screen doors, screen windows, mosquito nets and other anti-mosquito and fly facilities in your residence; recommend the use of mosquito coils, aerosol cans, fly swatters and other measures to exterminate mosquitoes and flies at home; flood watchmen should be equipped with anti-mosquito hats, long-sleeved clothes and pants, and exposed parts can be sprayed with repellents. Efficient and safe anticoagulant rodenticide should be used to exterminate rats; search for dead rats in a timely manner after extermination, and concentrate on deep burial or incineration; when flood rats die or migrate, the body parasites detach from or escape, and when exterminating rats, they should be sprayed with insecticides in the residents’ resettlement places to eliminate the parasites such as free fleas that leave the rat’s body, and to do a good job of exterminating rats and insects. An abnormal increase in the number of mosquitoes, flies, rats and other vector organisms should be reported to the local government authorities in a timely manner.
5. Hand cleaning. Do not rub your eyes with your hands, especially dirty hands. Each person’s towel and basin should be used separately. If you have to share a basin with a patient with acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (commonly known as pink eye), let the healthy person use it first and the patient use it later, wash the basin with soap after use, and disinfect it with disinfectant.
6. Prevent skin ulcers. Keep the skin clean and dry, and wipe sweat with a towel. You can put some prickly heat powder on the folds of the skin. Labor in the water, every 1 to 2 hours to rest, dry feet, exposure to the sun for a moment. After leaving the water every time you work, be sure to wash your feet and wear dry shoes. When the skin on the feet is found to be broken and has a tendency to aggravate, if the situation permits, you should not go into the water for a while. To try to wear long boots. Those who have foot skin disease should go into the water less.
7. Preventing schistosomiasis. In schistosomiasis-endemic areas, the best way to prevent schistosomiasis is not to contact infected water. Before contacting the infected water, apply protective ointment on the parts that may come into contact with the infected water. Under the premise of guarding against heat stroke, wear protective gear, such as rubber boots, rubber gloves and rubber pants. After contact with infected water, you should take the initiative to go to the blood defense department for examination, and early treatment should be provided if infection is detected.
8. Timely medical treatment. If you feel unwell, find a doctor in time. Especially fever, diarrhea patients, to seek medical help as soon as possible. Next is to follow the doctor’s advice, with infectious disease isolation, pay attention to the use of drugs.
9. Mental health. After the disaster is prone to acute stress reactions, most of which are significantly relieved within 30 days. Maintain a positive mental state and a good routine. If you have not recovered in more than a month, you should seek help from a psychiatrist or consult a psychological crisis intervention organization.
10. Special Population Care. Create a better environment for the elderly, the weak, the young and the sick as much as possible to reduce disability and death.

After Flooding, Be Aware of These Common Diseases

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reminds that after the flood, due to the deterioration of drinking water and dietary sanitation, environmental pollution, breeding of vector organisms, increased contact with the population and the decline in resistance and other factors, prone to a variety of infectious diseases, especially intestinal infectious diseases, insect-borne and natural epidemic-borne infectious diseases, infectious diseases through close contact with the increase in these diseases, it is very important to do a good job in preventing and controlling these diseases.

Intestinal infectious diseases are diseases in which pathogens invade the intestinal tract through the mouth and cause diarrhea and/or other organ and systemic infections. Common enteric infectious diseases in the disaster area include bacillary dysentery, cholera, typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever, other bacterial infectious diarrheal diseases caused by Salmonella, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Campylobacter jejuni, pathogenic Escherichia coli, Yersinia pestis and other bacteria, viral diarrheal diseases (rotavirus, cupripoxvirus, intestinal adenovirus, and stellate virus infected with diarrhea), and parasite diarrheal diseases (Cryptosporidium, etc.). Other enteric infectious diseases include hepatitis A, hepatitis E, and hand, foot and mouth disease.

Naturally occurring diseases are those that persist under natural conditions, are prevalent among wildlife, and can infect humans under certain conditions. Natural epidemiological diseases are more significantly affected by natural factors, due to changes in the natural environment during the flood, including temperature, humidity, water level and changes in the habitat of vector organisms affecting the growth and reproduction of pathogens, infectious agents, vectors and the growth and living habits of the host; on the other hand, the poor living conditions, malnutrition, and mental and psychological suppression of people in the disaster area during the natural disaster, which makes the body’s resistance to disease On the other hand, the poor living conditions, malnutrition, mental and psychological depression of the people in the disaster area during the natural disaster make the body’s resistance to diseases decline and the hygiene and disease prevention measures in the disaster area are jeopardized, which will easily lead to epidemics and outbreaks of natural diseases. Infectious diseases of natural origin that need to be prevented in the aftermath of floods include renal syndrome hemorrhagic fever (epidemic hemorrhagic fever), leptospirosis, epidemic encephalitis B, malaria, schistosomiasis, plague, anthrax, brucellosis and so on.

What measures should be taken to prevent and control these diseases?

Cholera

Do not eat raw sea (water) products, sea (water) product processing and storage containers should be separated from raw and cooked, cooked and eaten, cleaning seafood personnel should wash their hands thoroughly before touching food and tableware; do not drink raw water, only drink boiled water, qualified bottled water; avoid large gatherings and eating leftovers; do not urinate and defecate, not to mention urinating and defecating in the water wells and riverside; the occurrence of painless diarrhea and vomiting must be immediately sought medical attention; feces and vomiting contaminated ground and containers, toilets, clothing and bedding should be cleaned and disinfected. The ground, containers, toilets, faucets, clothing and bedding contaminated by feces and vomit should be cleaned and disinfected. People engaged in food service, waste and fecal disposal, or the general population can take oral cholera vaccine according to the recommendation of professional organizations.

Bacterial dysentery

Do not eat unwashed fruits and vegetables, peel fruits and vegetables and eat them, eat less coleslaw, do not eat or eat less cooked meat and cold food; eating raw garlic helps prevention; food processing should be boiled thoroughly; wash your hands before and after meals and before processing food; prevent meals from being crawled by flies; do not drink raw water, drink only boiled water and qualified bottled water. Do not urinate or defecate anywhere. Children with watery, loose or pus-filled stools with abdominal pain or severe abdominal pain should seek medical attention immediately. Children with febrile convulsions should seek medical attention to rule out toxic dysentery.

Typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever

Do not eat unwashed raw vegetables and fruits; do not eat uncooked shellfish and other seafood. Don’t drink raw water, only drink boiled water and qualified bottled water; wash hands before and after meals and before processing food; don’t urinate or defecate anywhere. At present, typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever are generally atypical. When there is fever lasting for more than 3 days, headache, poor appetite, exclusion of colds and other illnesses, and history of unclean food or raw and cold food intake, one should seek medical treatment immediately. Those engaged in services such as catering, waste and fecal disposal, or the general population should be vaccinated against typhoid fever according to the recommendations of professional organizations.

Hepatitis A

Do not eat unwashed raw vegetables, uncooked shellfish and other sea (water) products. Don’t drink raw water, only drink boiled water and qualified bottled water; wash hands before and after meals and before processing food; don’t urinate and defecate anywhere. Do not share cups of water and other utensils; Seek medical attention immediately for gastrointestinal symptoms such as yellowing of the skin and sclera of the eyes, nausea, aversion to oil and grease, and poor appetite. People engaged in food service, waste and fecal disposal, or the general population should be vaccinated against Hepatitis A according to the recommendations of professional organizations.

Hand, foot and mouth disease

Wash hands frequently with water and soap, especially before touching mouth and nose, before eating or handling food, after going to the toilet, when hands are contaminated by blisters and respiratory secretions, after changing baby’s diapers, and after handling contaminated objects. Frequently clean and disinfect dishes, utensils, objects or surfaces that come into daily contact with them (e.g. furniture, toys and shared objects) and objects and utensils contaminated by secretions, vomit and feces. Try not to share towels or other personal items. Adults going out and coming home should change clean clothes and wash hands before touching infants and young children; do not feed infants food chewed by adults; avoid close contact with the patient, such as playing and kissing. Avoid going to crowded public places to minimize the chance of infection. Ventilate your home or kindergarten well. According to the recommendation of professional organizations, children under 3 years old can be vaccinated with Enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine to reduce the incidence of EV71 infection and its resulting serious illness and death.

Food poisoning

Food should be cooked thoroughly and separated from raw and cooked food; tableware should be cleaned and sterilized for use, and hands should be washed before eating; do not eat spoiled or flood-soaked food; do not eat drowned, diseased or dead livestock and aquatic products; do not eat leftovers, do not eat raw and cold food; do not buy food from stalls without a hygiene permit; do not eat moldy food; and do not pick wild mushrooms for consumption. Avoid the misuse of industrial salt as table salt; food should be stored in dry, low-temperature places and not easily infested by rodents, flies and cockroaches, and prevent the contamination of food by rat poison. Large gatherings should be avoided or reduced during floods and receding waters.

Waterborne Diseases

Do not drink raw water, only drink boiled water or bottled water that meets hygiene standards, barrel water; water-filled appliances must be clean, and often emptied and cleaned; temporary drinking well water, river water, lake water, pond water, etc., must be disinfected; turbidity, heavily polluted water, must be added to alum clarification before disinfection; drinking water disinfectant (bleach tablets, disinfectant effervescent tablets) must be placed in a sheltered, dry, cool place for storage (such as with a Brown bottles with tightly screwed caps). Tap water pipes or taps, if contaminated, should be adequately cleaned after the water is returned, and the surface of the tap should be disinfected by wiping with a chlorine-containing disinfectant. Centralized water supply should be disinfected in strict accordance with the norms, and the residual chlorine in the terminal water must meet national standards.

Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis

Pay attention to hand cleaning. Do not rub your eyes with your hands, especially dirty hands. Use separate towels and basins for each person. If you have to share a basin with a patient with acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (commonly known as red eye), the healthy person should be allowed to use it first, and the patient should use it later, and the basin should be washed with soap and disinfected with a common disinfectant, which should not be used with alcohol disinfectant, but with a chlorine-containing disinfectant.

Hemorrhagic fever of renal syndrome

To do a good job of hygiene and self-protection, such as to ensure that the home and workplace are free of rats; proper storage of grain and food to prevent contamination by rats; cleaning places contaminated by rodent urine and feces, to be properly protected by wearing rubber or plastic gloves and masks; good anti-rodent and anti-rodent measures to prevent rats from entering the house; and not to take measures to extinguish rats by manually pounding rat nests and other rodenticidal measures.

Leptospirosis

July to September is the season of high incidence of leptospirosis, the affected area is a high incidence of leptospirosis in the flood season, the masses increased exposure to infected water, the risk of disease increases, the number of flood season may increase. People in the affected areas should avoid contact with infected water, keep pigs and other livestock in captivity, and actively cooperate with the government to carry out patriotic hygiene activities such as rodent extermination, and seek medical treatment in time when symptoms occur. Flood rescue workers and farmers participating in rice harvesting can be vaccinated or take preventive medication if necessary.

Anthrax

The natural source of anthrax in China is widely distributed, anthrax cases occur from time to time, July to September is the high season of anthrax, flooding is a risk factor for the outbreak of anthrax in animals, and there is a risk of localized outbreaks of anthrax in the affected areas. Therefore, in order to prevent anthrax, the most important measure for people in the affected areas is not to contact with sick and dead animals, and when they find that cattle, sheep and other animals have died suddenly, they should do the “three no’s”, i.e., not to slaughter, not to consume, not to buy or sell, and immediately report to the local agriculture and animal husbandry department, which will deal with the case. Once you find yourself or someone around you showing symptoms of anthrax, you should immediately report to the local health center or disease prevention and control agency and seek medical treatment promptly. Pay attention to purchasing beef and mutton products from regular channels, and refrain from purchasing and consuming diseased or dead livestock or meat from unknown sources.

Brucellosis

Wear gloves, masks and waterproof aprons when contacting sick sheep, cattle and other livestock. Do not drink raw milk or eat uncooked meat. Brucellosis acute stage cases with fever, malaise, excessive sweating, muscle, joint pain and liver, spleen, lymph node enlargement as the main manifestations, the emergence of suspected symptoms of brucellosis should be as soon as possible to seek medical attention, delayed treatment can lead to chronicity, and more harm to the body.

Schistosomiasis

Be alert to the epidemic of schistosomiasis in the disaster area. China’s schistosomiasis is mainly prevalent in Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Yunnan and other provinces, foreign flood relief personnel should be particularly alert to whether the local schistosomiasis epidemic, to the local residents or disease prevention and control agencies to consult with the local epidemic of schistosomiasis to understand the situation, as well as the local water system during the flood whether there are neighboring schistosomiasis-endemic areas of incoming water.

Pay attention to water safety. In schistosomiasis-endemic areas, or areas that may be affected by water from schistosomiasis-endemic areas, it is forbidden to drink raw water directly, and only drink boiled water or bottled water or bucket water that meets hygiene standards. Water used for washing hands and clothes should be disinfected by adding 0.5 grams of bleach or 1 gram of bleach to every 50 kilograms of drinking water.

Avoid contact with epidemic water. It is forbidden to swim, play in water, wash hands, do laundry and other behaviors in natural water bodies in the epidemic area, and avoid contact with infected water or water bodies with nail snail distribution.

Do personal protection. When contact with infected water is necessary, protective ointment should be applied to parts of the body that may come into contact with infected water, and drugs should be reapplied when continuous contact with infected water exceeds the effective time of the drugs in the ointment; under the premise of preventing high temperature heatstroke, impermeable boots, pants, gloves, and other protective gear can be worn.

Take the initiative to be tested for schistosome infection. If you fail to take sufficient protective measures when contacting infected water, especially the field rescue workers, you should take the initiative to go to the blood defense department for schistosomiasis examination, and early treatment should be provided for the infection found.

Seek prompt medical attention when symptoms appear. If symptoms such as fever, diarrhea and fatigue appear after contact with infected water, seek medical help as soon as possible, and take the initiative to inform the doctor that they have recently been in contact with infected water in schistosomiasis-endemic areas, so that diagnosis and treatment can be made as soon as possible.

The small waters and grassy beaches with nail snail distribution near the temporary residence can be treated with clonidine to kill the tailed larvae and nail snails. The spraying dose is 2-3g/m2; the leaching dose is 2-3g/m3 of water.

Strengthen livestock and manure management. During the flood, livestock such as cattle, sheep and other domestic animals should be concentrated in confinement as far as possible, and grazing in areas with nail snails is prohibited. As far as possible, collect human and livestock feces in time and unify them for harmless treatment to prevent feces from flowing into the water.

Malaria

Strengthen epidemic monitoring, establish epidemic monitoring points, timely and accurately grasp the epidemic, analyze trends, make predictions, and provide a scientific basis for the development of prevention and treatment countermeasures.

Strengthening blood tests for patients with fever, discovering sources of infection in a timely manner, standardizing the treatment of patients with existing symptoms, carrying out timely disposal of outbreaks, and preventing the accumulation and spread of sources of infection.

Vector control measures have been carried out, and indoor residual spraying with pyrethroids has been carried out in areas of high malaria prevalence and where mosquito vectors have a high density in affected areas.

Use mosquito coils, insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets or long-lasting mosquito nets, and where possible, install screen doors, screens, and other family mosquito control measures in the residence. Promote wearing long sleeves and long pants, spraying tinctures, creams, liquids and other repellents on exposed skin areas, changing sleeping habits and other personal protective measures to reduce mosquito bites.

Carry out patriotic hygiene campaigns to remove weeds and sludge, fill in potholes, improve environmental hygiene, and reduce and eliminate mosquito breeding sites.

Carry out health education activities on malaria prevention and raise the self-protection awareness and ability of people in the affected areas.