Floods in Brazil: Two people die of water-borne disease and they warn of more cases

Brazilian officials said Wednesday The first two deaths were due to bacterial disease Kidnapped Through the waters south of Brazil, The flood there will gradually recede. However, they warned there was more Casualties.

Ministry of Health of the State Rio Grande do Sul The 33-year-old man’s death was confirmed on Wednesday Leptospirosis. Authorities on Monday recorded the death of a 67-year-old man from the same disease. 26 cases of the disease have been confirmed in the state since the beginning of May.

At the very least 161 people died and 82 are still missing After nearly two weeks of flooding, state officials said Wednesday. More than 600,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Tens of thousands more are in shelters.

Health experts predicted an increase in infectious diseases such as Leptospirosis and Hepatitis B During the two weeks of the flood, sewage mixed with the flood water once.

“There are people who died during the floods, but there will be consequences,” he said. Paulo Saldiva, A professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, studies the impact of climate change on public health. “Drinking water is scarce and people start using pond water, which is of poor quality.”

The disaster affected more than 80% of the state’s municipalities and damaged critical infrastructure. More than 3,000 health facilities — hospitals, pharmacies, health centers and private clinics — have been damaged, according to a report released Tuesday by the Fiocruz Health Research Institute.

“It was expected because of the explosive number of leptospirosis cases People exposed to water, as well as other diseases,” said Carlos Machado, the public health and environmental expert Fiocruz assigned to assess the impact of the floods. “We have never seen a disaster of this magnitude in Brazil, with such a large population.”

Machado said that despite the damage to infrastructure, basic control and health services, the local health department is working to prevent infectious diseases and guide people returning home to reduce the risks of exposure.

Health services may also be affected Prolonged impact on patients suffering from chronic diseases, Treatment and care for chronically ill patients is disrupted, Machado said. People usually don’t take their prescriptions or ID cards with them when they leave their homes during a climate disaster.

“The health department is working hard to ensure that patients with chronic diseases get access to medicine,” he said.

(With information from AP)