The most vulnerable during the monsoon are pregnant women. Arrangements should be made to ensure they can reach the hospital for delivery, says Dr T S Selvavinayagam, director of public health and preventive medicine, Tamil Nadu, in an interview with Sinduja Jane.
What are the major health concerns during the monsoon season?
The immediate concerns during monsoon are injuries reported during the season, which might also be due to walls or other buildings collapsing. There might also be cases of insect and snake bites, as snakes come out of the holes in search of dry land. There also might be water contamination which can cause food borne diseases. Another challenge is cases of electrocution. After a few days of rain, food and water-borne diseases will occur. There might also be sore foot cases as people wade through water. Besides, this is the season mosquitoes start breeding, leading to vector-borne diseases like dengue, chikungunya and malaria. Mosquito control measures should be undertaken. In crowded places, there might be respiratory tract infection cases.
What are the preventive measures that the public should take into consideration?
Use only boiled water or chlorinated water for drinking and cooking purposes. Avoid walking through stagnant and sewage-mixed water. Keep a sufficient stock of medicines that you usually take. Avoid moving around unnecessarily in the water in flood-affected areas as you may get injured and also hinder rescue operations.
What is the role of the local bodies in preventing and controlling these illnesses or diseases?
Local bodies should ensure the supply and consumption of clean drinking water. They should also undertake super chlorination – adding the amount of chlorine during the rainy season to prevent future contamination during transmission and storage of drinking water. Again temporary shelters must be monitored because there might be respiratory tract infections.
Besides, vector control activities should be carried out. Antenatal mothers should be monitored and if they are in hilly, difficult-to-move or flood-prone areas, they should be brought and admitted to hospitals in case their expected date of delivery is close. Also, newborns cannot tolerate cold temperatures, so they should be taken care of.
Local bodies should also ensure that water is drained out in low-lying areas and take steps to prevent flooding.
What are the strategies that help control these illnesses from your experience?
Local bodies know areas that are prone to water stagnation; hence those areas should be monitored. Vulnerable populations like pregnant women should be monitored. Local bodies should make sure there is no spread of respiratory tract infection in temporary shelters.