Wear protective clothing and do not walk barefoot or wear slippers while cleaning up flood-damaged areas after Typhoon Danas to prevent the spread of melioidosis, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said yesterday.
Melioidosis — which is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a bacterium commonly found in soils and waterlogged environments — is transmitted mainly by contact through cuts on the skin or inhalation when people are exposed to contaminated soil or water.
Typhoons, such as Danas, which hit Taiwan on Sunday, disturb soil and release pathogens underneath. The number of melioidosis cases usually spikes within a month following a typhoon due to inhalational infection.
Photo courtesy of Chien Huan-tsung
Sixty-nine cases of melioidosis were reported a month after Typhoon Gaemi hit Taiwan last year, 13 of whom died from the disease, Lo said.
A total of 119 local melioidosis cases were recorded throughout last year, including 24 deaths, a record high, he said.
Eighty-nine of those cases, including 18 of the deaths, were recorded in Kaohsiung, 14 cases and four deaths in Tainan and five cases and one death in Taichung, he said.
To prevent the spread of the disease, people should not wear slippers or go barefoot while cleaning up after the typhoon, and should instead wear waterproof boots and gloves, Lo said.
They must also wear a mask to prevent infection through inhalational, Lo said.
People should also take care to avoid rusty objects like iron nails or corrugated metal to prevent contracting melioidosis, leptospirosis or tetanus through cuts, he said.
People with lung, liver or kidney diseases, diabetes, cancer or compromised immune systems are more likely to develop severe cases if infected, he said.
They should stay indoors as much as possible with windows closed, and wear a mask indoors and outdoors to avoid inhaling dust or water droplets carrying the bacterium, he said.
The CDC also warned of the risk of dengue fever, as stagnant water left after the typhoon creates hotbeds for mosquitoes.
The first week after a typhoon would be the critical period for preventing dengue, it said, urging people to check for containers that have collected water, drain them and scrub mosquito eggs from them.
The CDC also urged people to boil water before drinking to prevent intestinal infections, as water towers could become contaminated by dirty water, adding that towers should be drained and disinfected before they are refilled.
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