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by Carol Aloysius

The Health Ministry has warned of an imminent outbreak of water and vector borne diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid, hepatitis, dengue, malaria, Japanese encephalitis and leptopirosis (caused by rats, prevalent in Matara and Ratnapura) in the flood affected areas, unless immediate preventive measures are taken. Dr. T. A. Kulathilleke, Chief Epidemiologist, Colombo warning of an imminent outbreak of these diseases, also expressed concerns about food poisoning as a result of cooked food being distributed to flood victims.

He added that all measures were being taken to deal with any outbreak of such diseases and that hospital staff in the flood affected areas have been put on high alert. Dr Terrence de Silva, Acting Director General, Health Services said that instructions had already gone out to medical officers and PHIs in the flood affected areas to visit camps for homeless flood affected victims and ensure that the food and water they consumed were safe." We will be chlorinating the water of all the wells in the area as soon as the rains have ceased and the existing water has been drained ", he said.

As an immediate remedy against the risks of drinking contaminated water the Health Ministry has sent an SOS to the WHO asking for water purification tablets . " We are expecting around one million of such tablets. These will help to reduce the bacteria in the water" the health spokesman said. According to Dr. Kulathilleke, 12,000 of these water purification tablets had already arrived and are being distributed to the victims of the five flood affected areas.

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