At the beginning of 2020, Indonesia was greeted with an unfriendly climate and high rainfall. These conditions caused flooding in several areas in Indonesia, such as Jakarta, Tangerang, and several other areas. Even though the flood has receded, you still need to be vigilant to anticipate the emergence of post-flood diseases.
The increase in viruses and bacteria due to flooding caused diseases to emerge and infect the flood victims. Here are some diseases that are prone to appear after floods and ways to overcome them.
- Dengue fever
The environmental conditions after the flood strongly support the breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito . The increasing population of mosquitoes carrying the DHF virus has become a threat to residents after the floods. Dengue fever is classified as a serious and deadly disease if not treated immediately. The symptoms of DHF can include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, and rash.
Treatment to a hospital or clinic is the main effort to deal with dengue fever. In addition, you need to take febrifuge according to the doctor's instructions, get enough rest, and drink lots of fluids to avoid dehydration.
- Leptospirosis
In Indonesia, this disease is more familiar with the name 'rat urine'. Leptospirosis originates from infection with the Leptospira interrogans bacteria which originates from animal urine carried during floods. Symptoms range from chills, coughing, diarrhea, headaches, high fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and skin rashes. This disease is very susceptible to people who have a low immune system. If not treated quickly, this disease becomes dangerous to the point of causing kidney damage, respiratory problems, and can even cause death.
Keeping the body and environment clean is the main way to deal with this disease. You also need to use footwear and gloves. In addition, you also need to clean your body as a whole after cleaning the post-flood environment to avoid leptospirosis infection.
- Diarrhea
An unclean post-flood environment increases the risk of bacterial contamination in food and drink which can cause diarrhea. Symptoms of diarrhea can include melting of the stool and increased frequency of bowel movements (BAB). The function of organs and body tissues can be disrupted and unable to work optimally due to lack of fluids in the body.
Diarrhea is a disease that can cause dehydration if not treated immediately. The step to prevent dehydration when you are dehydrated is to consume ORS or drinks containing electrolytes to replace lost body fluids.
- Skin disease
The e.coli bacteria that appear in the post-flood environment make the skin very susceptible to various diseases. Ringworm, athlete's foot, dermatitis, allergies, folliculitis and various other skin diseases must be watched out for. Symptoms can include rashes, spots, and infections on the skin.
The way to anticipate it is to keep the environment and body clean, and consume hygienic food and drink. The use of antifungal drugs can also help to reduce the potential for skin diseases to get worse.
- Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI)
Cold air mixed with dirty water after flooding increases the potential for ISPA to spread. This disease is formed due to an infection in the respiratory tract. Symptoms include coughing, sneezing and fever.
To overcome this, you can gargle with salt water, consume healthy warm drinks, and inhale hot steam. Keeping the environment clean is also very necessary to overcome this disease.
Bad environmental conditions after a flood very easily affect your health. It is better to pay attention to the signs of the appearance of the disease and immediately seek medical help if the body's condition worsens. You can do an examination at the EMC Hospital to get the right and maximum treatment. By taking care of yourself, you also take care of environmental health. #LiveExcellently