Hospitals full of patients
in tsunami affected areas
Disruption in water supplies and sanitation will continue to
create problems with diarrhea diseases which at the latest
reports are sporadic but the potential for major outbreaks
still exist.
So far cholera does not appear to have emerged. Travelers
and aid workers where water supply is suspect and where
boiling is not possible must use water purifying tablets.
Acute respiratory disease and 'viral fever' (possibly this
is flu) have been reported in the Maldives and in Thailand,
wound infections have caused as many problems as diarrhea
disease.
Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever are to
be expected in all areas affected (except the Maldives) and
have been reported in Thailand emphasizing the need for
personal mosquito repellents, permethrin impregnated
mosquito nets and malaria prophylactic medication.
SA few cases of chicken pox have been reported from the
Jaffna district in Sri Lanka. Other problems include
pneumonia and some cases of non-specific food poisoning in
Thailand. These are early reports which under the
circumstances cannot be comprehensive but they reflect a
pattern to be expected in the crisis situation.
Additional potential problems include tetanus from injuries,
Japanese encephalitis conveyed by mosquitoes, leptospirosis
from wading in infected water, parasite infestations from
eating insufficiently cooked food, snakebite and rabies.
Intending visitors must ensure that all immunizations are up
to date and that they travel with a comprehensive medical
kit.
