As we showed you in Lemonal earlier, residents are not panicked by the coarsing currents and high waters. But while water is running all about them, there is no potable water and because of that the Ministry of Health today dispatched 2 doctors, 2 nurses, and two public health inspectors to the village. Public Health Inspector Bernaldo Bey says they responded to reports about an outbreak of diarrhoea.
Bernaldo Bey, Public Health Inspector
“We understand that there were rumours that we had an outbreak of diarrhoea and that’s why we have the whole health team out here to have
patients see the doctor and treat them.”
Keith Swift,
Have you done an assessment to find out if that is indeed the case?
Bernaldo Bey,
“We don’t have many people in here. We understand that all the people were supposed to come up here but apparently we only have about two families.”
Keith Swift,
How hard is it to get through to people the importance of following good hygiene with water and stuff like that in times like these?
Bernaldo Bey,
“It is very important because their lives depend on adhering to the principles of water disinfection, food safety, because you have many diseases. Not only diarrhoea, you have water itch, you have fungus, and you could have cases of leptisirosis, rats urinating in the water and we advise children not to bathe in the water because its contaminated by horse, cattle faeces.”
The team returned to the city this evening. Similar teams have been dispatched to other villages in the river valley. We’d like to thank Petty Officer Cecil Ramirez – the Coast Guard Captain who transported our 7NEWS team and the Ministry of Health’s doctors and nurses to Lemonal.
