The heavy downpour brought by Typhoon Nesat has resulted in serious floods in several areas. As Typhoon Haitang follows, more downpours are expected. The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) urged residents in flooded areas to pay attention to food safety and environmental hygiene and take the following measures to lower the risk of contracting infectious diseases.

As the torrential rains have resulted in serious floods that can significantly promote the breeding of vector mosquitoes in several areas in Taiwan, the public is urged to attend to their environmental hygiene through voluntarily and periodically emptying and cleaning any standing water on the rooftop and in the basement and draining or removing any unused containers that collect standing water such as used tires, cans, canvas, plastic bottles, and plant pots in order to reduce the breeding of vector mosquitoes and prevent the transmission of dengue fever.

Heavy rain may cause an increase in water turbidity and affect water safety.  If reservoirs have come in contact with floodwater, they should be cleaned and disinfected first, and then be refilled again. If disinfectant odor is present in your tap water, the water should be thoroughly boiled for 3 minutes prior to consumption.  When necessary, use bottled water to assure water safety. Do not consume food that has been soaked in the flood water or left unfrozen for too long. To disinfect indoor areas, floors, walls, toilets, showers, kitchens and bedrooms need to be wiped clean and disinfected with a 500ppm chlorine solution (i.e. a solution of 100cc of liquid household bleach in 10 liters of water). Do not use contaminated tableware and utensils until they have been disinfected. To disinfect kitchen utensils and cutleries, they should be boiled, and for those that cannot be boiled, soak them in a 200ppm chlorine solution (i.e. a solution of 40cc of liquid household bleach in 10 liters of water) for 30 minutes. The residents in areas where the water service has been interrupted are urged to pay special attention to the quality of their tap and drinking water. Be sure to consume only boiled or bottled water. After the water service has resumed, if there is an increase in tap water turbidity or a change in the color or smell of the tap water, remember to report the issue to the local Water Department immediately. Schools and restaurants that use ground water as the secondary water supply should make sure the water supply well has not been contaminated by sewer overflows or other contaminants. Ground water that has not been disinfected and assessed for the quality should only be used for flushing toilets and watering plants, and should not be used for cooking, drinking and washing hands. During water rationing, when clean and running water is available, please be sure to follow the five steps to wash your hands: “Wet, Scrub, Rinse, Clean, Wipe” and use an adequate amount of soap for proper hand washing. Lather hands with soap and scrub for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing 60-95% alcohol. Rub the sanitizer over all surfaces of hands and fingers until hands are dry to effectively lower the risk of infection.

Taiwan CDC will remain in close contact with the local health bureaus in the nation to monitor the occurrence of infectious diseases after the typhoons. If symptoms develop, please seek immediate medical attention. In addition, physicians are urged to report to the health authority when they identify a suspected case in order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. For more information, please contact the local health bureau or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Case Reporting and Care Hotline, 1922, or 0800-001922.