The floods produced by DANA have created an environment conducive to the proliferation of infectious diseases. The factors that increase this risk include water stagnation, the accumulation of waste and contact with contaminated water, which favor the transmission of gastrointestinal, dermatological and respiratory infections, as pointed out by the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain. .
Thus, given the health emergency derived from DANA in the Valencian Community, the Ministry of Health and the Department of Health have implemented an epidemiological surveillance protocol. This plan establishes a daily evaluation to early identify any outbreak of infection in the affected areas and monitor its evolution, especially in the case of infectious diseases with epidemic capacity, such as gastroenteritis, leptospirosis, pneumonia, etc.
The protocol also details the criteria for taking samples, which will be analyzed at the health center or hospital depending on the case and complexity. In addition, the procedure for notifying cases to the National Epidemiology Center and the Health Alerts and Emergencies Coordination Center is specified, guaranteeing a coordinated response at the national level.
When is a case considered suspicious?
To quickly identify possible cases of communicable diseases after DANA, two fundamental criteria are taken into account:
- Epidemiological criterion: applies to people exposed to areas affected by DANA, such as residents in those areas, those who have participated in cleaning and recovery efforts, and their cohabitants.
- Clinical criteria: includes people who present symptoms that may indicate a communicable disease. These symptoms are grouped into syndromes depending on the mode of transmission, as detailed below.
Food or water transmission
The most common infections that can occur through food or water are:
- Mild acute gastroenteritis: person with signs of acute gastroenteritis without severity.
- Severe acute gastroenteritis: person with signs of severe gastroenteritis, such as bloody diarrhea, dehydration, or high fever, among others.
- Acute jaundice, characterized by yellowish skin and mucous membranes, choluria or acholia.
- Suspected leptospirosis: person with fever and at least two additional symptoms, such as chills, headache, myalgia, rash, conjunctival injection or jaundice, among others.
Respiratory transmission
In this case, the suspicion of pneumonia is notable; that is, a person who presents an acute respiratory infection compatible with pneumonia.
Other clinical conditions
Other symptoms that can warn of serious infections, such as:
- Acute meningoencephalitis: high fever without apparent cause, pain behind the eyes, meningeal signs, or specific symptoms such as muscle weakness or confusion.
- Fever with rash: person with pinpoint pink rashes.
- Sepsis: a person with signs of an exacerbated immune response to an infection.
Be alert for any of these symptoms if you have been in flooded areas or participated in cleanup efforts. If you notice any signs of alarm or worsening, go to your nearest health center as soon as possible. You can check the situation of your center at this link.
In which cases it is recommended to seek health care
Certain symptoms make it advisable to seek health care as soon as possible. These are the warning signs to which you must pay special attention:
- High and persistent fever.
- Severe or continuous diarrhea or vomiting, especially if they cause dehydration (dry mouth or reduced urination).
- Severe abdominal pain.
- Yellowing of the skin or eyes.
- Dark colored urine.
- Persistent cough or difficulty breathing.
- Reddish or purple rashes on the skin, which could indicate subcutaneous bleeding.
- Severe headache or stiff neck.
- Confusion, disorientation or agitation.
- Open wounds or lesions with possible signs of infection.
- Feeling of anxiety or excessive stress.
Will any preventive vaccinations be offered?
Regarding vaccination, the Ministry of Health has indicated that:
- A mass vaccination campaign is not planned at this time.
- The availability of vaccines in health centers, especially for tetanus, diphtheria and hepatitis A, has been increased in case of an increase in demand.
- Systematic vaccination and seasonal vaccination campaigns continue (flu, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children).
- Health professionals are recommended to review the vaccination status of patients who come for consultation.
- In case of wounds, the usual tetanus vaccination guidelines will be followed, evaluating the date of the last dose.
Epidemiological risks and Public Health recommendations
For all these reasons, it is crucial to alert citizens about the potential epidemiological risks derived from the floods caused by DANA. Given this situation, the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain recommends to health authorities and citizens in general:
- Intensive epidemiological surveillance: urge public health systems to implement active surveillance protocols for the early identification and control of possible infectious outbreaks.
- Hygiene and disinfection measures: People are urged to avoid contact with stagnant water and authorities are urged to adequately deratize any area affected by floods. Individual protection with footwear, gloves and masks is crucial, as well as frequent hand washing and drinking bottled water until the potability of regular tap water is guaranteed.
- Restoration of Primary Care and access to medicines: the most vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, children and the elderly, must be assured of basic medical care, which includes maternal and child health, as well as assistance and coverage for illnesses. chronicles.
- Prevention of infectious diseases: vaccination programs that, according to the state of the situation, health authorities consider relevant, must be added to individual protection.
- Prevention of vector-borne diseases: being a pre-winter period, insect control should be considered next spring. Instead, rodent control should be included in this acute phase.
Source: Ministry of Health and RANM
