Focus on environmental treatment, ensuring people's health after floods

QTO - After days of prolonged rain and floods, many areas in Quang Tri province were flooded, garbage, animal carcasses and domestic water sources were polluted, posing a potential risk of infectious disease outbreaks. In this situation, the Quang Tri Health sector has proactively and synchronously deployed disease prevention and control measures, with special attention paid to environmental treatment, water source disinfection, ensuring food hygiene and safety and health for people in affected areas.

Strengthening environmental monitoring and treatment

Immediately after the flood receded, the Le Thuy Regional Medical Center mobilized all human resources, coordinated with local authorities and organizations to organize general environmental sanitation, collect waste, and treat domestic water sources in deeply flooded areas. Commune health stations made plans to treat the environment, fully prepared medicines, chemicals, disinfection equipment and were ready to respond when an epidemic occurred.

Dr. CKI Truong The Phong, Deputy Director of Le Thuy Regional Medical Center, said: We have determined that the key task at this time is to ensure the safety of water sources and the environment after storms and floods. Medical stations directly instruct people to treat water with Cloramin B, clean tanks, clean wells and closely monitor the situation of infectious diseases in the community. During peak days, the center sent rapid response teams to low-lying areas such as An Thuy, Phong Thuy, Loc Thuy to support water treatment techniques, distribute disinfectants, and instruct people to clean their houses and barns properly.

The Ministry of Health 's working group inspected and supervised epidemic prevention and control work after floods in Le Thuy commune - Photo: TT

In Hai Lang area, Hai Lang Regional Medical Center also proactively developed a plan to prevent and control epidemics right from the beginning of the rainy and stormy season.

Dr. Nguyen Dinh Nam, Deputy Director of Hai Lang Regional Medical Center, said: Immediately after the flood receded, the center proactively directed specialized departments, especially the Department of Public Health and the Department of Disease Control, to synchronously deploy environmental and disease monitoring measures in all areas. Monitoring work is carried out daily, with the motto "where the water recedes, the environment is treated there", in order to promptly detect and prevent the risk of disease outbreaks after the flood.

The specialized teams coordinate with local authorities to guide people in collecting and treating waste, animal carcasses, disinfecting domestic water sources and monitoring hygiene quality in residential areas, schools... The center also requires commune health stations to closely monitor people's health, especially infectious diseases such as diarrhea, pink eye, dengue fever... When detecting unusual cases, they must be reported immediately for timely zoning and handling measures.

Mobilizing the community to join hands in disease prevention

Disease prevention and control after floods is not only the responsibility of the health sector but also requires the cooperation of the government and the community. Immediately after the water receded, villages and hamlets mobilized to clean up the environment, disinfect residential areas, schools and medical stations.

Mr. Tran Van Hop, Dai Phong village (Le Thuy commune) shared: "People were instructed by health officials on how to treat well water, sprinkle lime powder around the house, and collect dead livestock. Thanks to that, the area soon stabilized, preventing the outbreak of disease."

Along with that, the health sector coordinated with local authorities and schools to propagate and instruct students to wash their hands with soap, use boiled water, not eat spoiled food, and maintain personal hygiene. At the same time, preventive medical teams organized spraying of chemicals to kill mosquitoes, flies, and larvae in residential areas, especially in areas that have been flooded for a long time.

According to the provincial Center for Disease Control (CDC), the unit has provided 3,105 kg of ViCHLORinE (Cacium hypochlorite); nearly 900 kg of Cloramin B chemicals to regional medical centers, and established a rapid response team ready to support localities when an outbreak occurs. Up to now, the whole province has not recorded any outbreaks after the flood, however the risk remains high if environmental sanitation and water source control are not maintained regularly.

Spraying to treat the environment to prevent and control epidemics after floods - Photo: TT

Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Deputy Director of the Provincial CDC, said: After floods, the risk of disease outbreaks, such as diarrhea, pink eye, skin diseases, dengue fever... is very high due to environmental pollution, contaminated water sources and waste accumulation. Therefore, disease prevention and control is not only an urgent task but also a regular task, requiring close coordination between the government, the health sector and the people.

In addition to the participation of medical forces in monitoring, environmental treatment, water disinfection and disease prevention communication, each person needs to raise awareness of self-protection. “Preventing and fighting epidemics after floods is the responsibility of the whole society. Each household needs to proactively clean and sanitize the environment, collect and treat waste, and ensure safe water sources. When unusual health signs appear, people must immediately report to health agencies for timely guidance and treatment,” emphasized Dr. CKI Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Deputy Director of the Provincial CDC.

It is known that previously, Working Group No. 3 of the Ministry of Health, led by Dr. Nguyen Thanh Dong, Deputy Director of Nha Trang Pasteur Institute, inspected and supervised the work of epidemic prevention and control after the flood in Le Thuy commune. Through inspections at Loc Thuy Medical Station and Le Thuy Regional Medical Center, the delegation recognized the proactive preparation of human resources, materials, and equipment for water and environmental treatment, and highly appreciated the spirit of readiness to respond of the grassroots medical team.

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Dong emphasized: " Quang Tri Health Sector needs to be proactive in all possible epidemic situations, strengthen monitoring of risk factors, share information promptly and coordinate closely with sectors and localities to mobilize resources to respond to urgent medical incidents."

With the close direction of the Ministry of Health, the Department of Health, the initiative from the grassroots level and the consensus of the people, the work of preventing and fighting epidemics after floods in Quang Tri is being effectively controlled. This is an important foundation to help the locality protect public health, stabilize people's lives and be ready to respond to extreme weather developments in the coming time.

Thanh Trung

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/xa-hoi/202511/tap-trung-xu-ly-moi-truong-bao-dam-suc-khoe-nhan-dan-sau-lu-7951586/