Czech Health Ministry warns people must wear personal protective equipment when cleaning up after the floods, pay attention to the quality of groceries and tap water
When cleaning up the damage caused by the floods, the Czech Health Ministry and the National Institute of Public Health recommend wearing personal protective equipment, especially galoshes and rubber gloves. Only water of verified quality is appropriate for drinking or washing one's hands, preferably bottled water. Groceries that have been underwater must be thrown away unless they are canned or in jars. The recommendations have been published online and sent to all Regional Authorities, towns and villages by the ministry. The Czech News Agency (ČTK) has received the ministry's press release.
“These recommendations primarily apply to the basic health and hygiene rules for keeping an eye on the state of your own health, preventing the spread of infectious diseases, storing groceries, monitoring water quality, and knowing how to proceed when cleaning up flooded properties. A separate set of recommendations targets what to do when cleaning up wells that have been affected by the floods,” the ministry says in its press release.
“Wash your hands with potable water and soap and dry them on paper towels, especially after coming into contact with surfaces which have been touched by the floodwaters or sludge, and always do so before drinking and eating,” the National Institute of Public Health (Státního zdravotního ústavu – SZÚ) recommends.
Groceries which have come into contact with floodwater must be thrown away and those stored in glass or metal should be checked to make sure they have not been contaminated. Food from freezers or refrigerators which were turned off is also not appropriate for consumption. “Throw away your frozen or refrigerated groceries if the refrigerated groceries were left in temperatures above six degrees Celsius for more than four hours and if the frozen groceries melted and were left in that state for more than two hours,” the SZÚ says.
Agricultural crops which have been flooded are harmful to human health, according to the SZÚ, while the fruit on bushes and trees which have not been flooded must be washed with potable water. “Agricultural crops which were not completely submerged and are still growing should not be used until they undergo a public health inspection for up to three weeks after the floods are over,” said the SZÚ.
Infectious disease risk rises after floods: Experts warn of hepatitis and leptospirosis
In the areas affected by the floods, leptospirosis can spread, which can lead to kidney and liver failure and is potentially fatal. Annually several dozen cases happen in the Czech Republic; this year as of late August, according to data from the SZÚ, there have already been 15. After the floods in 1997 and 2002, the country’s leptospirosis rates rose threefold to fivefold.
According to information from the SZÚ, there is also the danger that there will be higher rates of dysentery, hepatitis A and B, salmonella and tularemia. In recent days there have been several cases of people deciding to swim in the turbulent rivers, with police sounding the alarm about the case of a man in Otrokovice who did so.
The reproduction of bacteria called leptospires, which are spread through the urine of infected animals, can be expected especially after the flood waters recede, when people wade through mud or submerged structures. “Leptospires can enter the human body through abrasions or broken skin, the conjunctivae [eye membranes], inhalation or ingestion of contaminated aerosols or water, or more rarely through animal bites. The bacteria can survive for weeks to months in water and soil that is contaminated with the urine of infected animals,” the press release says.
Most cases manifest as an acute, feverish illness that can be easily mistaken for other diseases. Symptoms are fever, headache, stomachache, pain in the calves or lower back, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing or rashes.
In roughly one-tenth of cases the infection becomes a serious, potentially fatal illness causing multiple organ failure. This can result in heart arrhythmia, hepatitis, internal bleeding, kidney failure, or lung failure. “Between approximately five and 15 % of patients with a severe case of leptospirosis die of it,” experts say.
The incubation period for infection is ordinarily between five and 14 days. Doctors prescribe antibiotics to suspected leptospirosis patients as soon as possible without waiting for lab results. The infection can be prevented by avoiding swimming or wading in potentially contaminated water and by not eating groceries that have been submerged. It is necessary to wear galoshes and rubber gloves when working with submerged things.
