What are the important points related to sanitation and health care in the rehabilitation centers during floods?
Answers
** Health/ Sanitation Management during Floods**
Points related to rehabilitation centers and community centers where many people are sheltered.
Important points:
0. Preventing outbreaks of diseases like typhoid, dysentery, infectious hepatitis etc.
1. Avoiding flood waters contaminated by sewage and remains of animals. Using safe water and food. Avoiding water from wells until it is sampled and tested to be safe
2. Always using good hand washing (with an antibacterial soap) practices before eating, drinking, touching face areas and after going to toilets.
3. Treating water before drinking by boiling and cooling.
** If boiling facility isn't available,
- Adding a teaspoonful of bleach powder to 25 liters of impure water.
Or,
- Adding 4 drops of liquid laundry bleach per liter. (Sodium hypochlorite of the concentration of 5.25% to 6% should be the only active ingredient in the bleach. Choose bleach with no added soap or fragrances.)
**Double the amount of bleach added to the water if the water is colored or turbid.
Or,
- Mixing 1O drops of povidone iodine to each liter of water and letting it stand 30 min.
Or,
- Using Iodine or Chlorine Tablets (follow instructions on package). Let treated clear water stand for 30 min. If the mixture smells of chlorine, it is safe to use. If it does not smell of chlorine, add 4 more drops of chlorine bleach per liter and let stand for 30 minutes. If it smells of chlorine, you can use it.
4. If there are cuts/wounds on anyone, applying antiseptic and bandaging lest it's infected.
5. Using mosquito repellents and preventing mosquito breeding sites.
6. Maintaining good hygiene and sanitation around the toilets.
- Disinfecting toilets with Gammaxine etc.
- Digging shallow trench toilets far away from relief centers, and covering trenches with fresh earth after use.
Points related to sanitizing the village, streets, walls , houses, fields, agricultural lands etc..
Usually disinfectants containing chlorine are sprayed after mixing in water. This is done after floods recede. There are some other processes too.
Points related to the sanitation and health care in rehabilitation centres during floods are.....
** Always use to wash the hands before eating and after going to washroom...
** Use boiled water for drinking...
** Avoid to use the contaminated water from sewage during floods...
** Double the amount of bleach , added the water if it is turbid...
** Spread the use of chlorine during salty water....