Hepatitis, dengue, and measles could emerge as the other post-floods public health challenges in the coming weeks in the State.
Measles-related infection could be severe in certain pockets of Malappuram and Kozhikode, which saw stiff resistance to the measles-rubella (MR) vaccination campaign last year, a senior official with an international health agency told The Hindu on Tuesday.
The intensity of the bacterium or the virus spreading diseases could be higher in a post-floods situation.
There was a chance of water resources in flood-hit areas being contaminated with faeces, leading to hepatitis A cases, he said. The viral infection is transmitted mainly through ingestion of contaminated water or food or through direct contact with an infected person.
Many of the drinking water pipes were found to have been damaged in the floods. Negative pressure could lead to contamination of the water being distributed through pipes.
The official suggested that chlorination of drinking water resources was a must in the flood-hit regions and only boiled water should be used for drinking.
Measles, an infectious viral disease transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons, could also be reported from among the flood-affected population.
Pneumonia, lung infection, and respiratory problems are some of the manifestations of the disease in children. Focussing on elimination of mosquito-breeding sources could help prevent dengue cases to an extent, he added.
Meanwhile, K.J. Reena, Additional Director (Public Health), said super-chlorination of water sources had been advised to keep a tab on waterborne diseases.
Two teams of entomologists were already conducting field visits to determine vector density after the floods.
Fogging had been taken up in areas with high vector population.
Asked about the efforts to prevent measles cases, Dr. Reena claimed that a directive had been issued to vaccinate children aged above six months in relief camps.