Print

Mail

wiki links

Japanese aid team advises compiling of health data

A team of Japanese health experts yesterday urged the Taiwanese government to compile a record of the health history of all 6,000-plus typhoon victims staying at various shelters across the country, saying this could help to better monitor and control any future disease outbreak.

Those staying at the shelters should also be given priority treatment when Influenza A(H1N1) vaccines become available, the team of four medical workers and a foreign ministry staffer said.

Japan was one of the first countries to offer aid to Taiwan in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot, which left left 543 dead and close to 200 missing. Tokyo has pledged to donate ¥10 million (US$106,000) in cash and ¥40 million in emergency relief goods.

The five-member team dispatched by the Japanese government from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) arrived on Aug. 21 to survey the damage and assess potential public health issues brought on by the typhoon.

At the conclusion of their eight-day visit yesterday, the team, which has toured hard-hit areas in Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties, said although the shelters were well-stocked with basic medical supplies, Taiwan may be confronted with infectious disease transmission, both in the shelters as well as the moderately hit homes near the river banks.

The transmission could either be an expansion of existing diseases that are already present in the area or imported viruses carried in from outside by volunteers, media workers or other visitors, said Shuzo Kanagawa, the JICA doctor.

Insect-borne diseases could also induce dengue fever, scabies and scrub typhus.

Stagnant water and mud pools in the disaster areas could give rise to food-poisoning related diseases, the team said, who proposed early quarantine measures for anyone who demonstrates signs of infections.

Saeko Yamamoto, a JICA nurse, said the mental health of the victims, especially those in the shelters, could deteriorate in the long run if the victims felt that the rebuilding efforts had no end in sight.

The team has presented their suggestions to Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-lang (楊志良), she said.
This story has been viewed 909 times.